


Hopeless Romanticism

by WillietheOctopus



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Boarding School, M/M, boardingschoolstuck, erikar - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-11
Updated: 2013-01-18
Packaged: 2017-11-11 22:00:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/483332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillietheOctopus/pseuds/WillietheOctopus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Boarding school AU.<br/>Eridan Ampora is a new student with Karkat as his new roommate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rated M for later chapters.  
> Somewhat inspired by Kino's boardingschool!stuck pictures.  
> Also, constructive criticism is welcomed!

Eridan

Eridan didn’t want to be at boarding school. He wouldn’t get to see his two best friends, Feferi and Kanaya, as often, he would have to interact with other people, and maybe even have to share a flat. Just thinking of having a flatmate made Eridan cringe. Still, he knew his father had paid a large amount of money to get him into the school, especially since it was in the middle of the school year. Carrying his suitcase in one hand, his cell phone clutched in the other, Eridan made his way up the stairs, looking back at his car one last time before entering the large doors of the school.

The dean of the school was waiting for Eridan inside the doors, smiling and offering his hand to shake, which Eridan stared at for a bit before cautiously shaking the hand. The dean introduced himself as “Doctor Scratch” but insisted that Eridan called him “Doc Scratch.” Doc Scratch led Eridan to his new room, opening the door for him although making no attempt to help Eridan with his luggage.   
            “Karkat, I assume you can give our new student here a rundown of the school?” Doc Scratch said before walking off, leaving Eridan standing in the room, his mouth slightly agape as he looked around.  
            “No problem, Lord Asshat,” a male voice grumbled, not loud enough for Doc to catch. Eridan immediately snapped his attention to the male in the room. He was sitting on a loveseat in front of the TV watching some sort of soap opera that Eridan had no interest in. The male that Eridan assumed was Karkat sighed and stood up, walking over to Eridan.  
            “The name is Karkat Vantas,” he said, doing as Doc had earlier and offering his hand to shake. Eridan looked at Karkat now that he could see him better. He was short, especially compared to Eridan’s towering 6’2”; if he had to guess, Eridan would guess that Karkat was 5’3”. Eridan couldn’t tell for sure, but Karkat appeared appeared to be of Hispanic decent. He had shaggy and messy hair that was such a dark shade of brown that it seemed almost black. His eyes were hazel that complimented caramel-coloured skin well in Eridan’s opinion. He was drawn out of his thoughts about the appearance of Karkat as Karkat cleared his throat and motioned toward his outstretched hand.  
            “I wasn’t aware I was goin’ to have a flatmate,” Eridan said and felt like kicking himself immediately afterwards.  
            “‘Wow Karkat, you’re such a swell guy for introducing yourself! Let me return the favor! My name is insert shitty name that couldn’t possibly be as awesome as Karkat’s here.’ That’s one way you could have responded and there are thousands of other ways you could have, but instead you say something stupid like ‘I wasn’t aware I was goin’ to have a flatmate.’ The fuck even is a flatmate?” Karkat asked, mimicking Eridan’s slight French accent.  
            “It’s a roommate. An’ my name is Eridan Ampora, hardly a shitty name if you ask me,” he replied, finally shaking Karkat’s hand.  
            “Well it’s a good thing I wasn’t. So are you like from Europe or something?” Karkat asked, going back to the loveseat he was on earlier.  
            “Yeah. I’m from England, but I would fly between England an’ France quite often, livin’ in both,” Eridan replied bluntly as he began to unpack his bag, pulling out a comforter, pillows, sheets, a few scarves, some weekend clothes, and other things he had deemed as necessary. He folded his clothes up and put them up in the drawer  
            “What part?” Karkat asked, his interest seeming to be perked.  
            “Liverpool an’ Paris.”  
            “So does that mean you speak French?”  
            “Oui,” Eridan said, saying it in French to add emphasis, “How the hell could I live in a country an’ not speak the language?”  
            “Shut up. I was just asking. You don’t sound like there’s in French in you.”  
            “That’s because there isn’t any. Just would occasionally visit there growin’ up.  Since you’re bombardin’ me with questions, it’s my turn. What’s _your_ ethnicity an’ background?” Eridan asked as he started on making his bed.  
            “Half Italian, half Spanish. And Spanish as in from Spain, in case your tiny fucking brain got confused or something like that.”  
            “So can you speak Italian or Spanish?”  
            “Hell no. I didn’t actually come from those fucking countries,” Karkat replied snidely, “nor did my parent. It was my grandparents if your nosy ass must know.” Eridan didn’t reply, instead just walking over and sitting next to Karkat.  
            “What in God’s name do you think you’re doing?” Karkat demanded.  
            “I’m sittin’. Is that a crime here or somethin’?” Eridan asked.  
            “It is if it means you are sitting next to me. You prove yourself as a good enough friend and I’ll think about letting you sit next to me.” Eridan scowled and moved away from the loveseat, opting to go sit on his bed.  
            “By the way, since apparently I get to be blessed with the greatest fucking gift of getting a new roommate, I have to tell you the rules. First of all, bleach out the awful purple streak. Not only is it against the school rules, but it also looks tacky as hell,” Karkat instructed. Eridan said nothing in reply, but looked up at his hair, running a hand through it and looking insulted.  
            “Secondly, no girls in here. I’m sure that won’t be any trouble for you, though.”  
            “Noww wwhat the hell is that supposed to mean?” Eridan asked, obviously offended.  
            “What? Are you saying you get girls by the hundreds?”  
            “I didn’t say tha-“  
            “Oh, so you have a girlfriend then?” Karkat was smirking a bit, knowing that he had won that battle.  
            “Wwell, no, but I might here soon,” Eridan argued, huffing a bit and crossing his arms.  
            “You keep telling yourself that. In fact, if need be, I’ll even bestow some of my amazing romantic insight onto you. Now, back to the rules. You have to be indoors and in your room by 10:30.”  
            “A curfew?” Eridan practically whined  
            “Unless you have a damn good reason, yes”  
            “That’s bee-ess,” Eridan muttered under his breath.  
            “And finally, wear the uniform properly and don’t have any piercings or whatever. At least, just don’t get caught with them,” Karkat said before waving Eridan away.  
            “That’s it. All you need to know. You’ll get your books when you start classes on Monday. Now shoo. I have friends coming over and I don’t need you being a pest,” Karkat added to his previous statement. Eridan rolled his eyes and went over to his bed, pulling his phone out and texting Feferi, claiming that his life was nothing short of a Shakespearian tragedy.

Finally, after about thirty minutes, Eridan huffed out of the room, partially because he was getting annoyed with Karkat’s two friends, Gamzee and Sollux, had been there for about five minutes and Eridan was already become extremely annoyed with them, and also because Feferi was outside his dorm. He hurried outside and got in the backseat of her car, the front seat occupied by Feferi and Kanaya. Both girls had decided to help Eridan out and help him get rid of his purple streak in his hair. A few hours later, Eridan arrived back his dorm, disgruntled by his new hair style. He waved to the girls and trudged up to his room, glad to see that Karkat’s two friends had left.

“You took your sweet ass time to get home, but at least you got your hair fixed,” Karkat said upon noticing Eridan’s return. He was still in the loveseat, his back facing away from Eridan.  
            “It looks like shit now,” Eridan grumbled, obviously disgruntled about his hair. His natural colour was brunette, something close to a gorgeous mahogany, but since it was difficult for them to find a dye close to Eridan’s colour, the three agreed that bleaching it out would be the best decision, leaving Eridan with an awkward bright blonde streak where his purple one used to be.  
            “Not as shitty as it did before,” the other boy mumbled, still not looking at Eridan. Eridan simply rolled his eyes and sat on his bed.  
            “Was that a compliment?” Eridan asked finally after a few seconds.  
            “The closest you’re going to get to one from me for the time being, so you better revel in that.”

Eridan fell asleep after texting Feferi a bit more, Karkat still watching TV. Eridan was filled to the brim with curiosity of what could be so interesting that Karkat was constantly watching it. He would be sure to at least try and ask Karkat, figuring he could at least try and get a friendship to bloom from their being stuck in a flat together. He woke up the next morning with every intention of trying to make amends with Karkat, but instead he woke up to a note on the table, the message in a large and barely legible handwriting. Eridan squinted as he tried to decipher the message, eventually giving up and getting ready, walking out the door after about 30 minutes to go to his first class.


	2. Chapter 2

Karkat

Karkat sighed and leaned against the brick wall, sliding down until he was sitting. He had managed to avoid his roommate that morning and during lunch and he had been lucky enough not to have any classes with him. It wasn’t that Karkat didn’t like Eridan or anything, but he knew what it was like to be the new kid, latching onto any kind of familiarity, and as much of a nice guy Karkat was sure Eridan was, there was no way he could handle dealing with him that long.  
            “What’s got your face doin’ the opposite of what it should be doing?” Karkat’s best friend Gamzee Makara asked, sitting down next to the short boy.  
            “What are you going on about now?” Karkat asked, snarling a bit.  
            “You’re frownin’ and you should be smiling! The sun is out and there’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s all kinds of cool and getting ready to winter. What is there not to motherfucking smile about?” Gamzee said happily, pulling a cigarette out and lighting up.  
            “Are you fucking kidding me?” Karkat asked, arching one eyebrow at the cigarette.  
            “What? Oh, did you want one, my best bro?” Gamzee asked, pulling the pack out of his pocket and handing it to Karkat, which he promptly pushed it away.  
            “You can give yourself cancer, but there’s no way in hell I’ll be joining you. Besides, that’s against school rules, not that you care about the rules.”  
            “Man, the rules. They’re always bringing a brother down. Being restrictive and confining,” Gamzee whined as he took a drag of his cigarette, blowing the smoke away from Karkat. Karkat was about to say something in response when his other friend walked up. For some reason, Karkat couldn’t bring himself to call Sollux his best friend. He and Sollux were close, and there were times that Karkat would much rather deal with Sollux’s bullshit rather than Gamzee’s, but Karkat and Gamzee had a bond that he and Sollux probably never would have.  
            “Hey KK. Hey GZ,” Sollux said, leaning against the wall with the other two, although not sitting down. Gamzee acknowledged Sollux with a nod and the offering of a cigarette, which Sollux quickly rejected. Karkat waved at Sollux, not saying much.  
            “So that was your new roommate yesterday?” Sollux mumbled. Karkat nodded, frowning a little at the mention of his roommate.  
            “Woah bro. You got yourself a new roommate?” Gamzee asked, staring at Karkat, his mouth slightly agape.  
            “Where the fuck have you been? I mentioned that yesterday. Hell, that was practically all I whined about yesterday. Do you just tune me out when I talk or something?” Karkat asked, obviously not pleased about having to repeat old information. Gamzee gave Karkat and apologetic grin and Karkat ruffled the other’s messy hair as a way of saying he forgave him.  
            “How’s all of that working out for you?” Sollux asked, sticking his tongue out at his lisp after speaking.  
            “Awful in just about every sense of the word. Not only am I stuck with some new kid, it’s some foreign guy who acts like he’s a fucking prince or something. I’m half expecting him to call me a peasant.  
            “You’re kidding, right?” Sollux asked, arching an eyebrow.  
            “I may be over dramatizing things, but still, I preferred when I didn’t have a roomie.”  
            “You gotta chill about all of this. Maybe you two motherfuckers will get along famously or something like that,” Gamzee said in a chipper tone, finishing of his smoke. Karkat let out a “tch” in response and checked his phone, surprised to see a new message.  
 _hey kar at least i think this is you your handwwritin fucking sucks  
            _ “That TZ?” Sollux asked, looking over Karkat’s shoulder at the text.  
            “Privacy? Ever hear of it? Obviously not, you ass-hat. Anyways, no, it’s not. I haven’t talked to her since I exploded about the rumors,” Karkat mumbled as he texted back.  
 _I TAKE IT THIS IS ERIDAN. GOLD STAR FOR BEING ABLE TO DECIPHER MY SCRIBBLES.  
            _ “Rumors? You mean all the shit about her and Dav-” Gamzee asked  
            “Don’t you dare utter a word about that bullshit. I don’t want to be reminded. That’s literally the last thing I want to be reminded of.”  
            “But aren’t you two dating?” Sollux asked, once again, his eyebrow cocked in confusion.  
            “It’s like all my venting sessions are totally ignored by you two. No, we aren’t fucking dating. I like her and she likes me, but now there’s this tool in the picture and I might lose her. Now, if you must know who I’m texting since you can’t keep your filty noses out other people’s god damned business, I’m texting my roommate. I left him a note saying to text me if there was an emergency.”  
 _yeah this is he i havve no clue if youre bein sarcastic or not  
ONE, NO I WASN’T. I WAS SINCERE. CONGRADULATIONS ON THAT. TWO, SERIOUSLY? ARE YOU FUCKING ALLERGIC TO PUNCTUATION OR SOMETHING? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I HAD TO RE-READ YOUR DUMB TEXT JUST TO DECIPHER IT?  
            _ “Well shit. That bro must have some kind of motherfucking emergency for you. You might want to see what is up and bothering him,” Gamzee offered, widening his eyes a bit, although his usual goofy smile staying on his face.  
            “That’s what I’m trying to figure out, but this ass isn’t saying anything about it other than he apparently can’t figure out the difference between my amazing sarcasm and beautifully crafted words.”  
            “That’s because nobody can,” Sollux mused, earning him a punch to the thigh. Sollux yelped and grabbed his leg, sticking his tongue out at Karkat.  
 _im not allergic i just dont choose to use it too time consumin an such  
AND YET YOU HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO TEXT LIKE A TOTAL TOOL?  
i wwant people to hear my vvoice in my text make it more personal an shit  
AND THE STUPID REPEATED VOWELS?  
my accent wwith it bein all wwavvy an shit  
YOU KNOW WHAT? WHATEVER. DO WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT WITH YOUR TEXTING. I DON’T CARE. ANYWAYS, I SAID ONLY TEXT ME DURING EMERGENCIES.  
i knoww  
SO?  
so  
WHAT’S THE FUCKING EMERGENCY?  
oh thats wwhat you wwant so you knoww howw i said i might be gettin a girlfriend soon  
YES, I DO. AND I LAUGHED.  
yeah yeah wwhatevver anywways it happened i havve a date wwith her tomorroww  
HERE LET ME CLAP FOR YOU:  
CLAP.  
CLAP.  
CLAP.  
JUST SO YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A CONDESCENDING AND SARCASTIC CLAP. IN CASE THAT DIDN’T REGISTER.  
actually didnt so i guess thanks  
AND?  
and  
AND HOW THE HELL DOES THIS CONSTITUTE AS AN EMERGENCY? YOU ARE WASTING MY PRECIOUS TEXTS. I HAVE TO SAVE THEM.  
for your many suitors  
EXACTLY FOR THEM, AND UNLESS YOU WANT TO JOIN THE LIST, CUT TO THE CHASE.  
anywways you said you wwere like a romantics expert or somethin right  
NO, I DIDN’T SAY THAT. I SAID I COULD GIVE YOU ADVICE.  
wwell can you im scared as hell that im goin to mess it up  
YEAH, SURE I GUESS. I’LL JUST TEXT YOU DURING IT, OKAY?  
alright  
JUST DON’T BE AN IDIOT BETWEEN TEXTS.  
noww thats just plain rude  
I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW THAT WAS RUDE, BUT WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT, YOUR DILUTED, INSANE, AND MELODRAMATIC BOAT.  
wwhatevver ill see you tonight  
YEAH._

The entire time Karkat was texting Eridan, Sollux’s and Gamzee’s eyes were transfixed on young boy whose focus was on his phone, the edges of his mouth threatening to form a smile.  
            “KK, are you _smiling_?” Sollux teased  
            “No. Smiling is for the weak,” Karkat joked, a smile actually forming and flashing across his face.  
            “Then what’s up and on your face?” Gamzee asked, poking Karkat’s cheek and chuckling a bit.  
            “The prick got a date which means less time he has to spend with me, alright? That’s something to celebrate,” Karkat said defensively, although convincing neither boy.  
            “Whatever,” Sollux said with a shrug, wearing a smirk and receiving another punch to the thigh.

The rest of Karkat’s classes were uneventful, having one class with Eridan. The class they shared was history and Karkat’s eyes widened at how enthusiastic the other boy seemed about the subject, especially if war or naval things were brought up. His respect went up for Eridan a bit at how passionate he was about it, not that Karkat would ever admit something like that.

Karkat went out for dinner with Sollux and Gamzee after classes, coming home to find Eridan fast asleep, probably worn out from classes as well trying to get good rest for his date. Karkat was clandestinely jealous that Eridan had a date with a girl that he liked. He wanted to know what Eridan had that he hadn’t. Karkat had been pursuing Terezi for a while now, doing everything from trying to playing it cool and be friends to playing hard to get, from ignoring her to showering her in affection, but try as he might, nothing seemed to work, only getting flirted with in return, nothing else. And then, as a cherry on top, after years of him trying, Dave Strider waltzes in and ruins all of Karkat’s plans. With a sigh at all of his wasted efforts, at least that’s how he viewed them at the moment, he fell onto his bed, casting his glance over to Eridan, once again jealous, although this time for how easily he could sleep. Even though Eridan couldn’t see it and he wasn’t really to blame, Karkat narrowed his eyes and grabbed a bottle of sleeping pills, taking one before lying down and attempting to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to update as fast as I can OTL  
> Should have chapter 4 done and posted soon.  
> Also, follow the tag hopelessromanticism (no spaces!) on tumblr for any news on the fic, such as updates or announced hiatus or anything of the such!

Eridan

The next day, Eridan paid no attention in his classes, simply day dreaming about his date. He had worked so hard and he was so glad that he had. The brunette had spent years trying to get this date, stuck in the “friend-zone” for so long, playing the nice guy, seeing her date jerks a plenty. Sure he had dated a few girls trying to get over her and convince himself that she would be forever unattainable, but that was until he, Eridan Ampora, had gotten the chutzpah to ask her, Feferi Peixes, out. Eridan was on cloud nine as he groomed himself after school, changing outfits many times before finally deciding on skinny jeans, a loose tee, and a scarf. He styled his hair for a bout ten minutes, checking it over and over again along with how his outfit looked on him and whether or not he looked fat. After being yelled at by Karkat to “stop hogging the bathroom and checking himself out like a teenage girl hoping to get laid,” Eridan hurried out of the bathroom, about to leave until Karkat stopped him.  
            “Grab your coat,” he called out to Eridan.  
            “I don’t want to,” Eridan whined, standing in the doorway.  
            “It’s Autumn, almost fucking Winter. It’s cold as hell outside. You’re going to wear a jacket you’re going to like it,” Karkat demanded, walking over to Eridan, hands on his hips, looking up at the male that was almost a foot taller than him. Eridan snickered a bit once he noticed the major height difference.  
            “Jesus, what are you? 4’3”?” he teased.  
            “I’m 5’6”, thank you. It doesn’t seem like much to a fucking giant, but I’m not sh-”  
            “How the hell am I a giant? I’m 6’4”. How in God’s fuckin’ name does that make me a giant?” Eridan asked, crossing his arms, obviously not too happy.  
            “It just does,” Karkat defended, “We’re getting off subject. Anyways, you’re wearing a jacket of some sorts.”  
            “Or what?” Eridan challenged, arching an eyebrow, a smirk dancing across his face.  
           “Does it matter? No, no it doesn’t. How about you take your head out of your ass and listen?” Eridan pouted and grabbed his grey peacoat out of the nearby closet, folding it over an arm and not putting it on, something Karkat noticed before the other could fully make it out the door, being grabbed by the shoulder and pulled back into the room, the coat yanked out of his hands.  
            “Would you actually fucking listen to me?” Karkat grumbled as he pulled the coat onto Eridan. Eridan gave Karkat a confused look, but complied nonetheless.  
            “There. See? Not that bad. It’s really chilly outside, alright?” Karkat said as he finished buttoning the coat up, his voice much softer than it usually was. Eridan’s brow furrowed as he once again was confused, not sure why Karkat was being nice and caring about whether or not he was cold all of a sudden. He paused for a few more seconds before shaking it off, deciding not to question the sudden warmth from the usually grumpy boy.  
            “Now go on your date and woo the hell out of her, okay?” Karkat said, offering a smile to Eridan who nodded, returning the smile.  
            “Got it. An’ I can still text you for advice an’ shit, right?” he asked, making sure that he still had that life line.  
            “Don’t do it every five fucking seconds, but sure. I’ll grant you access to my vast knowledge on the subject. Now hurry up before you’re late and all of this was a giant waste of time,” the short boy instructed, shooing Eridan out of the door. Eridan nodded and hurried out the door. Luckily, Feferi was outside waiting for him, a giant smile on her face.  
            “I’m so glad we’re able to do this! I thought we would totally lose each other with you going to this school!” she exclaimed as he got into the car. He nodded again as he buckled up.  
            “You _really_ need to get a car. I mean, it is the guy’s duty to pick the girl up, not the other way around!” she said, driving off, presumably to the nearest coffee shop.

Once they were there and parked, Eridan hurried out of his seat and ran over to the driver’s side of the car, opening the door for Feferi, trying to be as gentlemanly as possible. With a giant grin, Feferi thanked him and shut the door, locking the car with a clicker on her keys. Feferi ordered herself a cappuccino that would undoubtedly give Eridan a cavity if he were to drink it as well as tie his tongue in knots if he were to even attempt pronouncing it. He ordered himself a simple black coffee, sitting down at a table as Feferi waited for her sugary drink. Feferi pulled Eridan to one of the tables outside when she finally got her drink. As he sipped on his coffee, he looked over at Feferi. He had to admit that while she always looked amazing, she looked so especially right then. Her light brown hair fell over her shoulders, a few strands falling in front of her face despite the head band that she had on. Behind pink glasses, her amber eyes sparkled with excitement, framed by long and thick eyelashes. Her nose and cheeks were spotted with freckles, standing out on her pale skin, not like how Karkat’s almost blended in with his tanned skin. Feferi’s nose and cheeks were rosy from the cold, complimenting her face well. Eridan couldn’t help but think that Karkat would look adorable with his cheeks red from either a cold or a blush. He promptly stopped what he was thinking, realizing that Karkat had invaded his thoughts twice now. He sighed and pulled his phone, texting without Feferi noticing.  
 _so far so good_  
GLAD TO HEAR THAT?  
just keepin you updated on evverythin  
THANK YOU BECAUSE I WAS SO FUCKING WORRIED. ANTICIPATION HAS BEEN EATING ME ALIVE.  
gee thanks for the sarcasm  
YOU’RE WELCOME.  
            “Who are you texting?” Feferi chirped, attempting to look over the table at the phone hidden in Eridan’s lap.  
            “No one of importance,” he said with a shrug.  
            “Now that’s a big fat lie or you would tell me who it is!”  
            “Just don’t worry about it, alright?”  
            “How am I supposed to not worry? You’re like a brother to me!” Eridan felt his heart drop a bit, although his smile did not falter.  
 _i think i just got friendzoned_  
PEOPLE CAN COME OUT OF THE FRIENDZONE.  
scratch that ivve just been fuckin family zoned  
THAT’S ROUGH BUDDY. HAVE YOU TRIED TALKING ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS FOR HER?  
no  
THEN DO THAT, YOU SHIT FOR BRAINS IMBECILE.  
wwhy must you hurt me so kar  
JUST SHUT UP AND TALK TO HER  
            “Eridan?” Feferi asked, cocking her head to the side.  
            “Oh, sorry. Um, just don’t worry. It’s a friend. My flatmate if you must know.”  
            “Ooh! A roommate! How exciting! What’s he like?” she said, her eyes widening at the hope of making new friends.  
            “He’s cool an’ all, but can we not talk about him? I’ve got somethin’ I’d like to ask,” Eridan said nervously.  
            “Oh? Well, shoot away!”  
            “Fef, how do you feel about me?” Eridan asked quietly, unsure if Feferi had heard him or not.  
            “You’re my best friend, my closest friend, practically family!” she said as she beamed.  
            “I was afraid a that,” the brunette boy grumbled under his breath, “So there’s no chance for... _us_ then?”  
            “Us? You mean like dating?” Feferi asked, a blush adding to the rosiness from the cold. Eridan nodded in response and Feferi’s gaze fell down to her hands around her cappuccino.  
            “I’ve never really thought about it, although I guess it makes sense, you always being there for me and protecting me...” she responded finally after a few long, torturous seconds.  
            “You mean you want to date?” Eridan asked, a bit too eagerly, looking at the girl across the table from him with hopeful eyes.  
            “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about you in that way and, well, to be honest, I don’t think I ever could. It would be cruel to both you and me if we were to date,” she said, her eyes never leaving her drink to look into Eridan’s.

            Eridan hated everything at that very moment. He couldn’t believe he was stupid as to actually believe a girl like her would go for a guy like him. He was clingy. He was jealous. He was protective. He was what she wanted in an older brother, not a boyfriend. He was currently storming down the street after standing up and walking away from the table. He reached into his pocket to try and pull his phone, hoping to play some music and calm down. When he came back empty handed, he cursed under his breath and turned quickly on his heels, realizing that his phone must be back at the table. Feferi was still at the table when he got back, his phone in her hands. He snatched the phone from her and stormed off again, making how upset he was obvious. His mood had gone from self-loathing to wondering how she could date the lowlifes she had before but not him. He had gotten about two blocks away when his phone rang, the call from Karkat.  
            “What the hell do you want? I’m not exactly in a talkin’ m-” Eridan started before he was cut off by Karkat.  
            “I don’t want to hear a god damned word. I’m giving you two choices you can either go back to whatever shithole you were at or you can tell me where you are right now and I’ll pick you up.” Eridan was quiet for a moment, trying to piece things together in his mind.  
            “How did you know I wasn’t with her?” Eridan asked, a bit suspicious.  
            “Because she texted me, actually concerned about you and how you were getting home. I already know your sad little sob story and I feel you, man, I do, but right now you need to answer my first question.”  
            “Come get me. I’m at the corner of First and Center, by the bookstore.”  
            “I’ll be there in five minutes. I swear to God if you move, I will fucking end you,” Karkat grumbled, some noise in the background as Karkat got up and put shoes and a jacket on. Eridan mumbled an “okay” before there was a click and the line went dead. Eridan sighed and looked at the texts on his phone as he waited for Karkat.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay in posting this chapter OTL  
> Hope it turned out okay! :U

Karkat

            With an exaggerated sigh, Karkat grabbed his jacket and hurried to his car. The car wasn’t much, it certainly wouldn’t suit Eridan’s princely tastes, but that asshole would simply have to deal with it. He hurried to the car, starting it and driving to the location that Eridan had given him. He found Eridan leaning against the wall, paying attention to his phone and not looking out for Karkat to arrive. With an aggravated facial expression and a pathetic honk from his car, Karkat grabbed Eridan’s attention, motioning for him to hurry up and get in the car. He was silent as he climbed in and remained so as Karkat pulled out into the street, staring at his hands, which were folded in his lap.  
            “Are you just going to stay silent or...?” Karkat mumbled, not taking his eyes away from the road.  
            “I don’t want to talk about it. Not yet, at least.” Karkat rolled his eyes and continued driving. His phone went off a few minutes later, a call from “SHIT EATING TWAT.”  
            “Can you answer that and see what the fuck Sollux wants?” Karkat grumbled. Eridan nodded, answering the phone and waiting a few seconds to reply, obviously letting Sollux speak.  
            “He’s busy. What is it?” Eridan said, sounding like an annoyed secretary, much to Karkat’s amusement. He then pictured Eridan in the stereotypical secretary clothing and then, without meaning to, in a “sexretary” outfit, a blush creeping across his face at the mental image. Karkat tried to hide his blush and the fact he had even had that thought by thinking of the first image and snickering a bit, gaining a confused look from Eridan.  
            “Sexretary,” Karkat explained, it taking a few seconds for it to hit him what he had just said. He hit the steering wheel and swore, gaining laughter from Eridan.  
            “Well Mr. Vantas, your friend here had some important news for you, but I think I can put him on hold,” Eridan teased with a wink, a genuine smile on his face, something Karkat was glad to see after how upset he had been when Karkat had picked him up. Karkat could hear Sollux on the phone screaming about stopping that gross shit and just listening to his news.  
            “Fine, fine. Calm your fuckin’ jets an’ get a sense a humor,” Eridan instructed Sollux, waiting a few minutes before reporting the news that he was told.  
            “He says that TZ an’ Strider are datin’ now. It was made Facebook official a few moments ago,” he said quietly, setting the phone down in his lap. Sollux must’ve taken the smart route and hung up before Karkat began throwing a tantrum. Although he did not throw a tantrum, he did slam his head against the steering wheel, Eridan letting out a scared yelp at Karkat no longer controlling the wheel.  
            “Kar, I’m assumin’ you aren’t very happy an’ this sucks an’ all but don’t get us killed, you imbecile!” Eridan screeched, reaching for the wheel, getting his hands slapped away from Karkat as he sat back up and grabbed the wheel, turning into the parking lot of a nearby grocery store. Karkat returned his head to against the steering wheel, letting out a groan. He wasn’t sure how he felt at the moment. He felt too many emotions at once, to be honest. He was miserable that he had lost Terezi, infuriated that he had lost her to Dave, a bit happy that he was finally free from that headache of a situation, and confused as to why he wanted nothing more than for Eridan to hold him and tell him everything would be alright.  
            “Ka-“  
            “Shut up,” Karkat grumbled, lifting his head up and pulling his wallet out of his pocket, handing it to Eridan, “Take this and whatever the fuck is inside it and buy junk food, feel good food, whatever you call the shit you eat when you feel sad and pathetic as hell.” Eridan nodded and hurried out of the car. Once Eridan was gone and the car doors locked, Karkat curled in on himself, pulling his knees up to his chest, his back heaving with sobs, although no tears had yet to fall from his eyes. It wasn’t until he heard the knock on the window that he had even looked up again, let alone un-curl from his ball.  
            “These are heavy. D’you feel like unlockin’ the door any time soon?” Eridan asked, his voice muffled by the car doors being shut. Karkat unlocked the car and opened the door for Eridan as he climbed into the car, the bags full of more things than he thought he had enough to buy. Eridan handed Karkat back the wallet and Karkat looked at it immediately and was surprised that it looked as if there was no money gone from it.  
            “Did you fucking steal those or something? How did you pay for those?” Karkat demanded.  
            “I couldn’t buy anythin’ worth my tastes with the shitty max that I had if I were to use your money, so I paid on my card. Besides, you just got your heart all but ripped out a your chest by some broad who doesn’t even probably deserve you,” Eridan said, looking over at Karkat. Although Eridan didn’t say it, Karkat tell that it was most likely most the second reason rather than the first.  
            “Just buckle up so I can get us home.” Eridan nodded and did as Karkat said.

            The ride home was quiet, aside from the hum of the engine and the tapping of Eridan’s leg that was shaking undoubtedly from anxiety and worry. Once there, Karkat hurried inside, Eridan following behind with the groceries. Karkat crumpled onto the couch as soon as they reached the dorm. He couldn’t hear what Eridan was doing behind him, but Karkat heard lots of rustling around until he finally saw Eridan pull a few cables out and hook them up to the TV and then to his own laptop. Within seconds, an image of Eridan’s desktop appeared on the TV. Karkat caught onto what Eridan was doing when Netflix was brought up and Eridan was typing in his information. Karkat stood up and went over to the light switches and turned every light off, eliminating any glare that may be. When he sat back down, Eridan was browsing through movies.  
            “Pick a movie,” Eridan mumbled.  
            “Legally Blonde,” Karkat replied after a few moments, pointing at the TV screen when he saw it. Eridna grimaced but clicked on it nonetheless. he grabbed the blanket that was over the back of the couch and wrapped it around Karkat, reaching down and grabbing two jars of nutella as well as two spoons  afterwards, handing one to Karkat. Karkat gladly took the jar; he opened it and stirred it around, making sure the oils that had gone to the top were mixed in before he took a bite of the nutella.  
            “I don’t get why you’re being so fucking nice to me. I’ve been an asshole,” Karkat mumbled, not daring to look at Eridan even though he was addressing him.  
            “Will you shut up with all that self-pityin’ shit? Leave the pityin’ you to me. You got your heart smashed in or whatever an’ trust me when I say no one understands that better than I do. That bein’ said, I know how this feels an’ I know how to make it better,” Eridan said defiantly as the beginning credits for the movie started. Karkat stayed quiet after what Eridan had just said.  
            “Also, I’ll be here if you ever need comfortin’ or someone to talk to, I’m here for you. It’s the least I can do after you _tried_ helpin’ me with Fef,” Eridan added, a bit quieter. Karkat nodded and, after a few seconds of debating it, leaned his head on Eridan’s shoulders, a bit surprised at how comfy it was. It took a few moments for Eridan to respond, but he leaned his head down and rested it on Karkat’s head. They stayed like throughout the movie, occasionally moving to eat some nutella, but quickly returning back to the previous position.

Once the movie was over, Karkat frowned; he in no way wanted to move away from Eridan. The closeness and warmth of the other was honestly comforting to Karkat, keeping him from thinking about Terezi and all of that bullshit. Instead, he was focusing on the movie and the nutella and how nice Eridan was being and how amazing that cologne of Eridan’s was and how when Eridan was actually relaxed and not being careful with how he looked, he would crinkle his nose when he laughed as well as a small snort would occasionally escape. Karkat blushed as he realized that his mind was now reeling with thoughts of the other. He quickly looked at his phone and began texting Gamzee.  
 _GAMZEE THIS IS IMPORTANT. I NEED YOU TO ANSWER AS SOON AS YOU CAN. DON’T FUCKING IGNORE THIS, THINKING YOU’LL COME BACK TO IT, AND THEN TOTALLY FORGET IT EXISTED._  
SoRrY tO hEaR aBoUt TeReZi AnD dAvE :o(  
i HoPe ThEy’Re HaPpY tHoUgH :o)  
YEAH, YEAH. ALL THE HAPPINES TO THEM AND I’M IN A PIT OF SORROW AND SHIT. I NEED A GOOD HORROR MOVIE NOW. I NEED IT TO BE ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING, ENOUGH TO MAKE ME ALL BUT SOB AND COWER AND FEAR  
WoAh CaLm DoWn ThErE, bRo  
eItHeR sEsSiOn 9 oR gRaVe EnCoUnTeRs  
BoTh HaVe PlOtS aNd AtMoSpHeReS tHaT wOuLd ScArE aNy MoThErFuCkEr :o/  
THANKS. I’LL LET ERIDAN CHOOSE WHICH OF THOSE TO WATCH.  
wAiT  
ArE yOu LoOkInG fOr A gOoD cUdDlE MoViE?  
bEsT oF lUcK mY bRo ;o)  
Karkat didn’t reply to Gamzee’s text, mostly because of the fact that he was right.  
            “What movie next?” Eridan asked, practically reading Karkat’s mind.  
            “Um, we could watch Session 9 or Grave Encounters. It’s up to you,” Karkat mumbled, feigning a yawn and leaning even more on Eridan’s shoulder.  
            “I’ve seen Session 9, so let’s try Grave Encounters,” Eridan said as he typed in the title and pulled it up. At first it was rather slow and Karkat almost texted Gamzee to tell him that the movie was stupid, that is until the first big scare in the movie. Karkat buried his face in Eridan’s shoulder, refusing to look at the screen until Eridan assured him it was okay. The rest of the movie was spent with Karkat clinging to Eridan and Eridan trying to calm Karkat down, his arm around Karkat and holding him closely. Once the movie was over, Karkat was all but sobbing into Eridan’s shoulder while Eridan hugged Karkat and stared at the TV screen with wide eyes.  
            “Let’s head to bed, alri-”  
            “If you think I’m going to bed any time soon then you have gone fucking insane,” Karkat said quickly.  
            “You need to get to sleep.”  
            “Fuck you. I don’t need sleep. I’ll be just fine without that shit.”  
            “I swear to fuckin’ God. Are you seriously always this stubborn?”  
            “I’m going to have nightmare if I sleep, and that’s even worse than going to class tired.”  
            It took Eridan a few moments to reply, but he finally mumbled, “If need be, you can sleep next to me. I’ll be there to protect you if you have a nightmare, alright?”  
            “Alright. I guess I can live with that,” Karkat murmured, moving away from Eridan so he could stand up.  
            “I’m goin’ to get changed into my night time clothing an’ then I’ll be ready for sleep.” With that, Eridan got up and grabbed some pajamas before heading over to the bathroom. Karkat grabbed their jars of nutella and put them in their cabinet before putting his night clothes on, which was a pair of baggy bants and a baggy shirt. Eridan came out of the bathroom in baggy pajama pants as well, but lacking a shirt. Karkat couldn’t tear his eyes away from Eridan’s bare chest. He loved the way he could see a six pack beginning to form on his abdomen, the way he could make out each muscle on Eridan’s thin but very well toned chest.  
            “You don’t mind that I don’t wear a shirt to bed, do you?” Eridan asked, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away from Karkat.  
            “It’s fine,” Karkat replied, his voice cracking as he spoke, glad that it was quiet enough that it wasn’t completely noticeable. Eridan nodded and climbed into bed, Karkat followed and laid down next to Eridan, although unsure how close he should get to the other. He kept his distance, leaving about quarter of a meter between them until Eridan put his arms around Karkat and pulled him closer.  
            “How the hell am I supposed to save you from nightmares if you’re all the fuckin’ way over there?” Eridan asked in a quiet tone. Karkat shrugged, and put his arms around Eridan as well, positive that his cheeks were a bright red and the other would be able to feel the heat against his chest.

            That night, Karkat managed to sleep without a single nightmare or any kind of tossing and turning for once, although it did take a while for him to calm down and actually close his eyes. By the time he had woken up, he had almost forgotten about Terezi, his thoughts now clouded by another. He was positive that his feelings for Eridan weren’t nearly like the ones he held for Terezi, hell, they couldn’t even hold a candle to how Karkat felt about that girl, but they were there and Karkat didn’t mind that in the slightest.


	5. Chapter 5

Eridan

When he woke up, Eridan had absolutely no intention to get out of bed. He hated his life at the moment. He had enjoyed everything with Karkat the night before, but he just couldn’t get Feferi out of his head, especially worried that he had ruined their friendship now. He kept his eyes closed and made it seem like he was still asleep, hoping that if he tried hard enough and was convincing enough, he wouldn’t have to go to class.  
            “Eridan, it’s time to get out of bed,” Karkat mumbled, although he didn’t pull himself away from Eridan. Eridan stayed quiet, not moving except for the rise and fall of his chest with his breathing.  
            “Ha ha. Very funny, asshole. Get up,” Karkat growled, moving away from Eridan and sitting up, shaking Eridan’s shoulder. Eridan stood his ground and remained asleep, refusing to get up.  
            “Are you a goddamn child? Are you trying to avoid talking to me or something?” Karkat demanded, Eridan’s eyes shooting open as he shook his head from side to side.  
            “No, Kar. It’s nothin’ like that. It’s... Fef....” Eridan could immediately see the hurt in Karkat’s eyes, although he wasn’t sure why Karkat was hurt.  
            “I’m terrified that she’s not goin’ to even want to be friend anymore. Kar, she’s my best friend. We grew up together. When my dad was off doin’ his important shit, she an’ her mom took care a me. When my brother would pick on me, she would stand up to him. I don’t want that connection to be gone. Even if we aren’t meant to be together in that kind a sense, I know we were fated to be friends,” Eridan explained, sitting up and drawing his knees close to his chest, laying his chin on his knees. Karkat sighed, almost like a sigh of relief, and moved close to Eridan, putting an arm around him.  
            “I’m sure she isn’t mad at you. She’s probably as confused as you are,” Karkat said, mumbling something afterwards, but Eridan wasn’t able to hear it.  
            “What did you say?”  
            “It’s nothing of importance, now hurry up out of bed so you can get ready for class,” Karkat said quickly. Eridan nodded and stretched his legs out before climbing off of the bed with an exaggerated sigh. He made his way over to the dresser before there was a knock on his door.  
            “Boys, classes have been canceled today due to cold weather and the impending snow fall today,” the voice of the dean said through the door, “Feel free to wander through out the dorm, but don’t go to the main part of the school or go off campus.” Eridan and Karkat both said “okay” and stayed quiet until they could hear the dean going to the next room.  
            “Is it really goin’ to snow?” Eridan asked, arching an eyebrow.  
            “Well, it is November, but he does this every year and it never fucking snows. I’m fairly sure he’s just lazy as hell and doesn’t want to deal with classes today,” Karkat said with a shrug. Eridan shrugged back in response and went back over to his bed.  
            “So what the hell are we supposed to do today?” Eridan whined.  
            “What all did you buy yesterday?” Karkat asked.  
            “That’s a bit of a non-sequitur, but some hot chocolate, M&Ms, coffee grinds, some cup-a-soup things that Campbell makes, and some swedish fish.”  
            “None of that is even close to fucking useful, but don’t worry. I will play hero in swoop in to save the goddamned day,” Karkat mumbled, texting someone quickly. Within a few seconds, probably about thirty, the sound of someone too tall and lanky for his or her own good running down the hall could be heard. The running drew closer to the dorm and one of Karkat’s friends, Gamzee if Eridan remembered his name correctly, opened the door and ran inside, holding a box of pancake mix.  
            “Here you go, bro,” the lanky boy said, handing Karkat the box, his hand going over his chest as he tried to catch his breath, running back out the door the moment he did, slamming the door shut behind him. Eridan looked between Karkat and the door, thoroughly confused while Karkat stood up and went over to the little kitchen unit in their room, pulling out a bowl and beginning to stir together the ingredients required on the box of pancake mix.  
            “Kar, what the fuck just happened?” Eridan asked, still confused.  
            “I wanted to make you pancakes and we didn’t have the proper shit to make them, so I asked Gamzee if he did because that asswipe bakes so often that it isn’t even close to funny,” Karkat explained without looking at Eridan.  
            Eridan blinked a few moments in confusion before asking, “Why the hell did you want to make me pancakes?”  
            “You were sad. We don’t have class. How the hell does that not scream make pancakes? Were you dropped on your head or something?” Karkat said as he pulled out a frying pan and put it on the stove, pouring the batter into the pan once it was warmed up. Eridan didn’t argue, simply staying quiet and staying put on his bed, staring down at his feet and occasionally glancing at his phone. He was drawn out of his thoughts by Karkat approaching him with a plate of pancakes. Eridan took the plate and was about to take a bit before he noticed Karkat standing near him, tapping his foot with his arms crossed.  
            “Can I help you?” Eridan asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
            “Yeah, you can get your dumb ass off of the bed and get over here.” Eridan rolled his eyes and got off the bed, walking over to Karkat. Karkat led him to the loveseat and sat down, having his own plate in his lap. Eridan finally got a piece of the pancakes and smiled a bit at the small bite, pleasantly surprised at the taste.  
            “So you’re all kinds of European, right?” Karkat asked as his mouth was full of pancake as he spoke. Eridan sneered a bit and nodded.  
            “We’ve been over this. I’m French an’ English. Liverpool an’ Paris. An’ before you ask again, yes I speak French.”  
            “Right. So, um, could you speak some French for me then?” Karkat asked Eridan with pleading eyes full of hope. Eridan shrugged and cleared his throat, trying to think of what to say.  
            “Je m'appelle Eridan. Je viens de l'Europe.,” Eridan rambled off.  
            “What does that mean?” Karkat asked eagerly.  
            “I call myself Eridan. I come from Europe.”  
            “That’s not romantic in the slightest, you asshole!” Karkat pouted.  
            “What?” Eridan questioned, thoroughly confused as he took another bite of his pancakes.  
            “The French language is romantic and suave!”  
            “Kar, I think it means romantic as in it originates from-”  
            “Can you just say something romantic and in French?” Karkat pleaded.  
            “Fine. _Le ciel de la nuit ne peut pas rivaliser avec la beauté de tes yeux. Tu as mon cœur toujours et toujours. Tu es plus beau que la ville de Paris la nuit. Tu as un beau cul. Je veux vous entendre crier mon_ _nom._ _Je veux faire l'amour à ton beau cul_ _.”_ Eridan chuckled a bit at the last couple things he said, knowing the phrases well from the times he had tricked foolish Americans into saying foolish things whilst thinking they were saying sweet nothings.  
            “Wow. See? I told you it was the language of romance! I especially liked that last one. What was it? _Je veux faire l'amour à ton beau cul_?” Karkat said, breathing out the last sentence as if speaking to a lover.  
            “ _Quand et où?_ ” Eridan said jokingly, although a bright blush was spreading across his face as he realized the exchange they had just had.  
            “Wait, what did you say? What did _I_ say?” Karkat questioned, obviously suspicious of the blush on Eridan’s face.  
            “Nothin’. It was nothin’. Just don’t worry about it,” Eridan said quickly. Karkat rolled his eyes and began mumbling the phrase to himself over and over, Eridan’s blush growing more and more every time he heard Karkat say those words.  
            “I swear to fucking God. Tell me what the hell I’m saying or I’ll google it,” Karkat said, finally fed up with Eridan’s embarrassment.  
            “You’ve been sayin’ ‘I want to make love to your beautiful ass’,” Eridan mumbled, hoping Karkat hadn’t heard him, although Karkat heard, which was made obvious by his laughter, much to Eridan’s surprise. He had to admit that he had never heard Karkat’s laugh, at least that he could remember, and he honestly wanted to hear more of it.  
            “Are you trying to send subliminal messaging to me, Eridan?” Karkat teased, shoving Eridan’s shoulder. The pink on Eridan’s cheeks brightened, but Eridan laughed along with Karkat.

            The rest of the day was spent with Karkat making sure that Eridan remained cheered up, keeping his thoughts as far away from Feferi as he could manage. Occasionally they were visited by Gamzee or Sollux, neither of which Eridan was too fond of, but he liked Gamzee better than he liked Sollux. Finally when the sun set and the two boys left the dorm, leaving just Karkat and Eridan, Eridan curled up on his bed, drawing his knees to his chest once again. Of course, this didn’t escape Karkat’s attention. He shut the door and locked it, going over to Eridan’s bed and sat down next to him, not touching him or offering any words, just sitting there with him. Eridan was about to say something when he was interrupted by Karkat.  
            “Holy shit! It’s actually snowing!” Karkat exclaimed, climbing off of the bed and going over to the large window between their beds, trying to avoid the TV in the way.  
            “Really?” Eridan asked, not moving from his spot on his bed.  
            “Yes really. Get your ass over here,” Karkat said, before he seemed to get a great idea.  
            “I lied. You sit your royal ass over and there and don’t lift a precious finger while I get this set up.” Karkat unplugged the TV and scooted it closer to Eridan’s bed, pushing the loveseat over to Eridan’s side of the room as well. He grabbed the blankets from his bed and spread them out on the floor, laying the pillows out on top of them. He had everything laid out so that he could have an amazing view of the window and, ergo, the snow.  
            “What are you waiting for? Grab your blankets and pillows and get over here,” Karkat said, going over to the dresser and grabbing pajamas to change into, similar to the ones he had worn the previous night: large shirt and boxers. He wandered over to the bathroom and changed while Eridan moved over to the makeshift bed Karkat had made out of his pillows and blankets. It resembled a nest more than a bed, but Eridan wasn’t going to say anything. He set his things down, grabbing some pajama pants. He changed pants quickly, not wanting to get caught without pants on by the time Karkat had come from the bathroom, although as Eridan stripped his shirt off, he heard the click of the bathroom door opening and knew that Karkat must have walked out at an awkward moment. Karkat said nothing, though, and moved over to the blankets, smoothing them out for the two to lie together. Finally, he moved under the blankets, motioning for Eridan to do the same. It didn’t take much convincing for Eridan to join Karkat and he was soon enveloped in the warmth of the blankets. Eridan lay on his back, looking at the window and watching the snow fall.  
            “Beautiful,” Karkat mumbled. Eridan nodded, and looked over at Karkat, a bit surprised to see that Karkat was looking back at him instead of the window.  
            “Are we goin’ to sleep this way tonight?” Eridan asked, trying to change the conversation.  
            “I don’t care,” Karkat responded with a shrug, although the way his eyes were beginning to close and his body relaxed, Eridan could figure out that Karkat meant that they were. Karkat shivered a bit as his eyes closed completely. Eridan turned on his side and pulled Karkat close, wrapping his arms around him, completely fine with falling asleep in such a posture once again.  
            “You’re warm,” Karkat muttered softly, almost as if he didn’t want it to be heard.  
            “Tu es parfait,” Eridan mumbled back.  
            “What does that mean?” Karkat questioned, opening his eyes and looking up at Eridan.  
            “Nothin’ to worry yourself over. Just get some sleep,” Eridan instructed as he closed his eyes, resting his chin on the top of Karkat’s hair, falling asleep as soon as he felt Karkat’s breathing regulate. He was a bit surprised that he had managed to fall asleep with his pounding heart and rapid breath and he was almost convinced that he wasn’t even awake and that he was simply in a dream, but nonetheless he was able to sleep, not waking up until he felt Karkat stir in his sleep in the middle of the night.

            Karkat seemed to have woken up with a jump, waking Eridan up in the process. At first Eridan was rather pissed that he had been woken up and was prepared to deal out consequences should it have been for stupid or irrational reasoning. His anger quickly melted, though, at the sight before him: Karkat pressing his face into Eridan’s chest as if hiding, his arms wound tightly around Eridan’s waist, his breathing short and rapid, his body trembling slightly. It didn’t take long for Eridan to catch on to the fact that Karkat was waking up from a nightmare, especially with the whimpers that were escaping from Karkat’s throat, each one making Eridan’s chest fill with a pang that he wasn’t sure if it was pity, guilt, sympathy, or something greater. Nonetheless, Eridan had to do his best to comfort the frightened boy. He moved one hand up to so that it was by Karkat’s head, combing his fingers through his messy dark hair, shushing Karkat, occasionally interjecting that everything would be alright, although it did nothing. Finally, he came up with the idea to sing one of the lullabies his mother would sing to him when he would have nightmares as a child.  
            “ _Bonne nuit, mon ange/ C'est l'heure de fermer les yeux/ Et de mettre ces questions de côté pour un autre jour/ Je crois savoir ce que tu me demandais/ Je crois que tu sais ce que j'essayais de dire/ Je t'ai promis que je ne te quitterais jamais/ Et tu devrais toujours savoir/ Que où que tu puisses aller/ Où que tu sois/ Je ne serai jamais très loin,”_ Eridan sang out, softly. He would have continued on, having the whole lullaby to memory and even could have sang it in English should need be, but Karkat was already asleep by the end of the first verse. Eridan smiled a bit, happy that Karkat seemed at ease, although he was still holding Eridan rather close. Eridan craned his neck downwards and kissed the top of Karkat’s head, something he would deny if ever questioned about it, before closing his eyes and falling back asleep, the light from the moon shining in through the window, the snow illuminated as it fell slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English translations for what Eridan said in order:  
> My name is Eridan. I am from Europe.  
> The night sky cannot compete with the beauty of your eyes  
> You have my heart for forever and always  
> You are more beautiful than the city of Paris at night  
> You have a nice ass  
> I want to hear you scream my name  
> I want to make love to your beautiful ass  
> You are perfect


	6. Chapter 6

Karkat

            Somehow, Eridan was still asleep when Karkat woke up. Karkat yawned and stayed where he was, close to Eridan in his arms. He was amazed that Eridan had managed to remain asleep despite the glaring brightness of the sun reflecting from the snow. Karkat sighed a bit when it donned on him that he was going to be stuck in the dorm rooms once again, but he figured that he could manage as long as he was still with Eridan. Karkat stretched his legs and scooted a little closer to Eridan, hoping that the other wouldn’t wake up. Eridan groaned in his sleep and shifted a bit, but didn’t wake up, at least as far as Karkat knew. Karkat moved closer, accidentally brushing his hips against Eridan’s, feeling what he assumed was only, not wanting to get his hopes up or let his mind wander to other places. Much to his dismay, such a thing was impossible.  
            “Fuck,” Karkat grumbled, shifting uncomfortably trying to make sure that if Eridan were to wake up at the moment, he wouldn’t feel Karkat’s slight boner, although it wasn’t doing any good. Karkat growled as he got up, having to pull away from Eridan’s arms, getting a mumble and a whimper, but nothing more. Karkat hurried to the bathroom, hoping that a warm shower would help get his mind off of the uncomfortable bulge forming in his boxers.

            It didn’t take long for Karkat to strip off his boxers and shirt and step into the warm water, throwing his head back to get his hair wet. He had done well to ignore his arousal, almost forgetting about it completely and being able to go back to Eridan’s arms, that is until he began to wash his body, brushing against his quasi-hard penis, shuddering from the pleasure that the contact gave him. He couldn’t resist brushing against once more, lingering a little bit longer this time. Karkat tried to go back to washing himself, but he couldn’t stop. A few seconds later his hand was back at his crotch, stroking his penis that grew harder and harder until it was fully erect. Karkat bit his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut, leaning forward so that his head was resting on the cool tile as he pumped his hand up and down around his erection, occasionally rubbing the tip with his thumb, bucking into his hands when he did so. He did his very best to keep his mind from picturing anyone or anything in particular, but his thoughts seemed to constantly to wander back to Eridan, thinking of the way his hair looked with the lovely contrast of the brunette and the bleach blonde, of the beautiful colour of his eyes, although one could only notice it whenever his glasses were removed, of the way his lips looked so kissable and how he would give anything to press his own against Eridan’s, of how toned and tanned he was, of all the small freckles that one would have to look at Eridan closely to see, of how every night when Eridan slept shirtless, the small and ever-so-teasing happy trail could be seen below his belly button. Karkat gasped, trying to keep his moan in his throat, only succeeding in keeping it quiet. He turned and leaned his back against the wall, sinking down until he was sitting, his eyes still shut tight. His mind leaped to the mental image of his hand no longer being his own, but Eridan’s, that Eridan was sitting behind Karkat, leaving small and loving kisses on Karkat’s neck, pumping Karkat’s cock as Karkat moaned and bucked his hips toward Eridan’s touch. His imagination quickly got the best of him and Karkat orgasmed, spilling his cum all over his hands, legs, and part of the tub, calling out Eridan’s name as he did so, not really thinking about it.  
            “Yeah Kar?” Eridan asked groggily outside of the bathroom door. Karkat’s eyes shot open, knowing he had to think of something and he had to think of it quickly.  
            “Just making sure you were up. I don’t want to be associated with some lazy ass bum,” Karkat hollered back, hoping it was believable enough.  
            “There’s snow outside! I think that gives me enough reason to sleep in” Eridan whined. Karkat sighed with relief, knowing that his little lie had tricked Eridan.  
            “Then go to bed,” Karkat said, pushing himself up so that he was standing.  
            “I’m already up. Besides, I was hopin’ that maybe we could go out in the snow sometime,” Eridan said hopefully. It didn’t take long for Karkat to mentally say yes, but he hesitated a bit so that it didn’t seem as if he was too eager.  
            “That sounds doable. Just let me get out of the damned shower,” Karkat called out.  
            “Wait, you’ve been naked this entire time that we’ve been talkin’?” Eridan asked, his voice giving away that his face was most likely bright with a blush.  
            “Do you wear clothes in the shower?”  
            “Well, no, but-”  
            “Then why the hell wouldn’t I be naked?”  
            “I don’t know...,” Eridan admitted. Karkat rolled his eyes and finished taking his shower, glad that his masturbating had taken away the discomfort of having to be careful about arousing himself. After about 5 more minutes, Karkat walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, gaining a small squeak and a blush from Eridan.  
            “I understand not wearin’ clothes in the shower, but you aren’t in the shower anymore,” Eridan mumbled.  
            “If you don’t shut up, I’ll drop the towel right here and now,” Karkat threatened, Eridan shaking his fervently, making Karkat chuckle a bit.  
            “Turn your eyes so I can get dressed,” Karkat instructed and Eridan doing as he had said. Karkat was quick to slip on a pair of boxers and pants, doing as Eridan did often and leaving his shirt off.  
            “Alright, you can look again,” Karkat mumbled as he rooted around for a shirt, “Also, are you goin’ to get dressed so we can go out to the snow?” Karkat had realized he had dropped the “g” at the end of his word when it was already too late, a grin spreading across Eridan’s face as he heard it.  
            “Are you pickin’ up on my way a speakin’?” he asked as he stood up, dropping his pajama pants so that he could put on real pants.  
            “No. I just said that to make sure you were listening,” Karkat grumbled, pulling a shirt on over his head. Eridan’s grin didn’t fade as he put on pants and a shirt, wrapping a scarf around his neck after putting his shoes on. Karkat put socks and tennis shoes on and slipped on a jacket, waiting by the door for Eridan. Eridan ran toward the door after making sure his hair and outfit was perfect, although he was stopped by Karkat.  
            “What is it now?” Eridan whined.  
            “Where the fuck is your jacket?” Karkat demanded. Eridan sighed and went over to his peacoat, slipping it on and then sulking back to the door.

            It took a bit of skill sneaking out of the dorm, but not much. Mostly it was a matter of common sense, but a bit of speed and cunning if one were to be caught. Luckily, Eridan and Karkat were only caught by Gamzee, who smiled and waved them along. Once outside, Eridan looked around, hopelessly confused and lost since he did not kow the area well, but luckily Karkat was there to save the day and grabbed Eridan’s hand, leading him to a nearby park. The park was almost completely covered in snow, much to Eridan’s delight. The first place he ran to was the swings, brushing the snow off before sitting down. Karkat joined him, although taking his time walking over there, letting thoughts go through his mind like how romantic it would be if they were to kiss while it was snowing. He quickly shook it away though, brushing it off as simply the hopeless romantic in him combined with loneliness from losing Terezi for why he was thinking such things. He may have feelings for Eridan, but they were insignificant and nothing Karkat should ever act upon, at least that’s what he convinced himself.  
            “Thanks for comin’ out here, Kar,” Eridan said, bringing Karkat’s attention to what was currently going on.  
            “Don’t think too much on it.”  
            “Let’s go down the slide together, alright?” Eridan suggested, getting up from his swing, dusting himself off before running over to the slide. As Karkat got up and made his way over there, small white flurries of snow began to drift from the sky.  
            “Hurry up. I swear to God, you are slower than Christmas!” Eridan whined, Karkat flipping him off as he climbed up the slide to meet Eridan at the top.  
            “On the count a three, alright? One... two... three!” Eridan and Karkat pushed off and came to a slow stop at the bottom roughly at the same time.  
            “Again?” Eridan asked, turning to face Karkat, who was already looking at Eridan. Eridan didn’t say anything afterwards, not demanding a response to his question or anything. Instead, Eridan’s eyes remained locked on Karkat’s, but Karkat’s eyes went from Eridan’s eyes to his rosy cheeks to soft looking lips. He considered leaning forward and closing the space between them a good three times, but chickened out.  
            “Uh, yea-” Karkat started, finally giving up on it, but he was interrupted by a pair of pink and kissable looking lips crashing against his own. His eyes were wide, but they slowly drifted shut as he melted like the snow touching their warm bodies melted. Karkat tilted his head to the side, trying to keep his nose out of the way and doing a fairly decent job at it. He hoped to God that his racing heart wasn’t too noticeable to Eridan, but that wasn’t the main thought occupying Karkat’s mind. No, that position was taken by how perfect the image was: two boys whose hearts had just been broken now kissing, faces flushed from the kiss and the cold, the snow drifting down and landing in their hair and on their faces. Karkat wouldn’t have changed a single thing about the moment.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to track the tag #hopelessromanticism for any news or to know when it updates!

Eridan

            Some people say that when one has his or her first kiss, his or her mind is reeling, filled with thoughts, racing at 100 mph, but for Eridan, his mind was quiet and blank. He almost didn’t notice that he was even kissing Karkat until he had felt the other boy’s hand in his hair. His eyes didn’t close like he had always heard they would, but instead widened. His heart did race, but not out of adrenaline of kissing Karkat, but instead out of pure panic. He didn’t know if Karkat was into guys. He didn’t know how Karkat felt. Hell, he didn’t know how _he_ felt. He pulled back from the kiss, standing up from the slide.  
            “Eridan?” Karkat asked, opening his eyes slowly, his brows furrowed.  
            “No,” Eridan mumbled, barely audible.  
            “What did you say?”  
            “No. I can’t do this. I can’t do this to myself an’ I sure as hell can’t do this to you,” Eridan said before he began walking off. Karkat grabbed at Eridan’s hand, trying to get him not to leave, but Eridan didn’t stop, shaking away Karkat’s outstretched arms and grabbing hands.

            Eridan had no clue where he was going. After about ten minutes of walking around, he wasn’t even sure he was in the park anymore. He began to think less about where he was and more of how much of an idiot he had just been. Eridan was still trying to work through everything with Feferi, Karkat was still trying to work through things with Terezi, and both boys were hopelessly confused on what they were doing. Eridan choked out a sob, feeling warm tears fall down his cheeks. He fell to the ground, sitting down by one of the snow covered trees, not caring about the snow he was sitting on or how cold he was at the moment. Eridan felt so lost and so confused. He felt as if he had no one he would really talk to at the moment. His best friend was someone he had just yelled and screamed at the other day. Nonetheless, all Eridan could think was that trying couldn’t hurt. Despite everything, Feferi was his best friend and had been there for him a long time. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed her number with numb and trembling fingers, holding the phone up to his ear after he hit the “call” button.  
            “Eridan?” Feferi’s voice asked through the phone after a few moments of dialtone.  
            “Hey Fef,” Eridan said in a hushed tone, looking down at the ground.  
            “Is everything alright?” she asked, the concern in her voice obvious.  
            “Yeah.”  
            “You’re a big fat liar,” Feferi accused.  
            “I ain’t fat,” Eridan retorted, avoiding the subject of his lying.  
            “I know you aren’t fat. It’s a saying. You’ve been in America long enough to know that! Eridan, I’ve known you for so long that I know when you are lying. Tell me what’s wrong!” Feferi demanded.  
            “I kissed Kar.”  
            “So? That’s great!”  
            “I don’t know if I like him. I don’t know if he likes me. I don’t know if he even likes guys. I mean, he just had issues with a girl an’ shit...,” Eridan said, feeling a new batch of tears swelling in his eyes. He sniffled a bit and wiped away the tears with the back of his hand as he heard Feferi shuffle around a bit.  
            “Alright. I haven’t had nearly enough relationships to give you advice, _but_ in the newest issue of _Cosmo,_ they said if you kiss someone, then there’s a good chance that you like that person, even if you don’t know it and stuff. They went into a tangent about the subconscious and all that, but moral of the story is that if you kissed him then some part of you obviously likes him, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not,” Feferi said, the sound of her flipping through pages of a magazine being heard as she spoke.  
            “Thanks, Fef,” Eridan mumbled, taking everything she had said into consideration.  
            “Anytime!”  
            “Oh wait. Fef?” he asked, hating how pathetic he sounded.  
            “What’s up, Eridan?” she asked.  
            “Are we okay? Are we still friends?”  
            “Eridan Ampora! I am insulted that you would insinuate that we wouldn’t be! When I said that we would be best friends forever and ever, I meant that. I value your friendship, no matter how cranky or how clingy you can be.”  
            “Thanks, Fef.”  
            “Of course, Eridan. Hey, there’s a really good recipe for facials in here. Maybe one of these days we can do a girls’ day?” Feferi offered.  
            “I’m not a girl, Fef.”  
            “Who cares? You’re still going to be invited anyways!” Feferi said with a giggle before hanging up the phone. Eridan sighed and shoved his phone back in his pocket, wiping away any remaining tears, but staying seated on the ground. He didn’t want to get up and have to face the world just yet.

            Eridan wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but it was obvious he did when he was shaken awake by Karkat. Eridan was on his side, part of his face in the snow. The side that had been immersed in the snow was raw and cold, not to forget bright red.  
            “You fucking asshole. What in God’s name made your stupid shitty brain think this was a good idea?” Karkat yelled at Eridan as he helped the cold boy up.  
            “I’m sorry, Kar,” Eridan mumbled, not fully awake nor thinking clearly.  
            “Don’t tell me you’re sorry, dick cheese. I’m not the one who’s going to be sick as hell,” Karkat said with a roll of his eyes, slipping his arm under Eridan’s, trying to support Eridan despite his being much taller than Karkat.  
            “I’m not talkin’ about the fallin’ asleep.”  
            “Then what the hell are you rambling about now?”  
            “About runnin’ off on you,” Eridan said quietly.  
            “Oh,” Karkat said, looking down at the ground as he pulled Eridan along.  
            “I’m really...,” Eridan mumbled, trailing off toward the end of his sentence, beginning to slump forward a bit.  
            “Don’t you fucking dare!” Karkat said as he tried to keep Eridan up, any viciousness or threat in his voice gone and replaced with concern. He hurried to the dorm, not caring about getting caught. Thankfully Doc Scratch was nowhere to be seen on their journey back to the dorm. Eridan was in cold sweats and mumbling pure nonsense now, barely able to support himself. As soon as Karkat got the door open, Eridan was laid on his bed. Karkat was quick to take off Eridan’s scarf and jacket, Eridan’s shirt next. When Karkat began to unbutton Eridan’s pants, Eridan swatted at his hands.  
            “Kar, I ain’t in the mood for that,” Eridan mumbled.  
            “I’m not trying to have sex with you, you rambling idiot. I’m trying to cool you down. You’re wearing too many layers of clothing.” Eridan nodded and let Karkat continue to strip him. Eridan was a hot mess: his hair was matted down to his perspiring forehead, his face flushed, his glasses askew, and his body clammy. Karkat began mumbling about how he just knew that Eridan was going to get sick and how Karkat was doomed to take care of him while hurrying to find a thermometer for Eridan. Once he found one, he hurried over to Eridan and instructed him to open his mouth, sticking the thermometer under Eridan’s tongue.  
            “That’s not where your dick goes,” Eridan teased, causing Karkat to scoff even though he still smiled a bit.  
            “Ha ha. Trust me, my dick is much bigger than that,” Karkat retorted, his eyes widening a bit and a blush spreading across his cheeks as he realized what he had just said. Eridan smiled, partially from Karkat’s teasing, but mostly from how much he loved Karkat’s blush with his skin tone and his freckles.  
            “You’re cute, y’know that?” Eridan slurred out, looking at Karkat with half-lidded eyes.  
            “And you have a fever,” Karkat announced, ignoring what Eridan had said to look at the thermometer. Karkat moved away, grabbing his coat and putting it on.  
            “Where are you goin’?” Eridan whined, out stretching his arms and proving that he was completely willing to milk this to the end.  
            “I’m going to the store to go get soup for your dumb ass,” Karkat explained, grabbing his keys and heading toward the door.  
            “Don’t leave me,” Eridan said, sounding pathetic for the second time that day. Karkat sighed and walked over to Eridan, sitting on the edge of the bed and pushing Eridan’s bangs out of his face.  
            “Look, I’m going to go so I can get something for you. Stay here and sleep. You have my number and your phone if anything happens. I’ll be back as soon as I can, alright?” Karkat asked, the tone of his voice being soft and caring. Eridan nodded, although a sad look still on his face.  
            “I don’t know if it will help any, but dream a little dream of me, alright?” Karkat added, kissing Eridan’s forehead before walking off and exiting the door. Eridan smiled and took his glasses off, setting them on the ground nearby. It took a bit, but not very long, for Eridan to fall asleep, a smile still on his face as he thought about many things, including how maybe what Feferi had told him earlier was right.


	8. Chapter 8

Karkat

            Karkat looked at the soups at the store, wishing desperately that he had brought his headphones to drown out the noises around him. He was surrounded by talkative teenagers, screaming children and their mothers who were too busy to pay attention to them, and guys who thought blasting their music for the entire world to hear was obviously the best idea. He was trying his best not to think of the kiss or Eridan’s reaction, but every now and then he would find himself wondering about it and get hopelessly confused as well as completely flustered, a slight blush crawling across his cheeks. As he was looking at the different soups and trying to figure out which soup wouldn’t upset Eridan’s “delicate an’ high class taste buds,” Karkat felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out as soon as he could.  
            “What?” Karkat asked as he answered the call.  
            “Ya don’ need ta get any kind a soup,” Eridan slurred out on the other side of the phone.  
            “Are you even speaking English?” Karkat asked, a bit worried that the fever was getting to Eridan a bit too much.  
            “I said don’ get any soup.”  
            “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m already at the shit-eating store. Why the hell shouldn’t I get soup? Give me one good God damned reason,” Karkat demanded, thoroughly upset that he may have come to the store for absolutely no reason.  
            “We already have soup.”  
            “And you choose to tell me now?”  
            “I wasn’ thinkin’ then. I didn’ remember it,” Eridan mumbled, sounding as if he was about to cry from forgetting. Karkat sighed and rubbed at his temple, knowing that he was going to have a headache very soon from everything.  
            “Look, don’t cry or anything. I’ll be home in a bit and I’ll make you your fucking soup, but not before I get myself something here. I came all the way out to this God forsaken store and I’m sure as hell going to get something for myself,” Karkat said, beginning to walk away from the soups.  
            “A’ight. See you soon, Kar,” Eridan said groggily before hanging up, the happiness in his voice simply killing Karkat. Karkat waited until he was sure that Eridan hung up before putting his phone back in his pocket, turning toward the bath section, deciding he could go for a nice bubble bath and possibly even the newest _People_ magazine.

            Karkat hurried back to the dorm room, sneaking in once again, although it wasn’t much trouble. He had been torn between the mint bubble math mix and the strawberry bubble bath mix, the mint for his blooming headache and the strawberry simply for the smell of it, and ended up buying both of the mixes as well as an issue of _People_ and issue of _Soaps Digest_. Eridan was fast asleep when Karkat walked in, lying on his stomach with his blankets strewn everywhere. Karkat rolled his eyes as he put what he had bought up before going to the kitchen, trying to find the soup that Eridan had supposedly bought the other day. As he thought about it, there was a chance that Eridan had said he had bought soup, but Karkat was more preoccupied with cheering Eridan up and making pancakes. The short brunette dark haired boy located the soup that Eridan had mentioned and followed the directions for making the “cup-o-soup.” Once the microwave went off, Karkat sat it out on the counter and walked over to Eridan, gently shaking his shoulder.  
            “Whad’ya wan’?” Eridan mumbled, opening one eye.  
            “Your soup is on the counter cooling down,” Karkat said.  
            “Okay. I’ll get it here soon,” the drowsy and sick boy said, waving Karkat off. With a slight huff and puff, Karkat stormed off, going to the bathroom and turning on the light. Finding a candle and a lighter that he had borrowed from Gamzee, Karkat lit the candle and prepared a bath, desperately needing a way to relax and get rid of his headache. He prepared a bath, adding both the strawberry and the mint, the smell being created being one that was interesting, but still pleasant. Once the tub was full of warm water and bubbles, Karkat turned the light off and set the candle on the sink before he stripped himself of clothing and slipped into the warm water.

            After a few minutes of sitting there in the tub with his eyes closed, letting his muscles relax, he decided to try and talk to his best friend to help Karkat figure out some things. Karkat grabbed his phone out of his pocket and dialed Gamzee’s number, a bit surprised when the dial tone was interrupted by a voice that was male, but not Gamzee’s.  
            “Hi there,” the other voice said.  
            “Who the hell is this and where’s Gamzee?” Karkat demanded.  
            “Oh. This is Tavros and Gamzee’s, uh, busy right now,” he stammered out. Karkat immediately remembered the name Tavros and how Gamzee, in a roundabout way, had admitting to liking the boy.  
            “Tell him to get your dick out of his mouth and talk to me,” Karkat said rather harshly.  
            “We’re not doing anything like that!” Tavros exclaimed, his embarrassment obvious even over the phone.  
            “Then why can’t he talk?” Karkat demanded.  
            “He’s studying for an important test coming up.”  
            “Gamzee doesn’t study. He’s never studied. He’s always said that if universe wanted him to pass, it would 'all up and whisper the motherfucking answers' to him. What has changed his mind?”  
            “He got a letter from his dad saying that if he got his grades up, his dad might come and visit him. Gamzee kind of freaked out and started studying and doing his homework the moment he read the letter....” Karkat blinked in surprise. He had known that things were a little strained between Gamzee and his father, that Gamzee’s father expected so much from the boy and tended to lash out when Gamzee didn’t meet said expectations, and that Gamzee still strived for the affection and love he had seen many fathers give to their sons, but this was still surprising to hear. Nonetheless, Karkat was going to be supportive of his best friend.  
            “Alright. Tell him I said good luck with that and that I hope he gets to see his dad,” Karkat mumbled before hanging up, not bothering to hear what Tavros had to say. He decided the next person to call would be Sollux. Karkat wasn’t sure if the lisping boy would have anything helpful to offer, but Karkat could still try.  
            “What do you want?” Sollux asked once he picked up the phone.  
            “Hey asshat. Think you could give me some advice?” Karkat asked, splashing around in the tub a bit.  
            “If it involves TZ, then count me out. I don’t want to get involved in that shit.”  
            “It has nothing to do with Terezi. It has to do with my roommate,” Karkat said, the last sentence being mumbled under his breath. Unfortunately, Sollux still heard it.  
            “Your roommate? Why in God’s name could you possibly be needing advice involving him?” Sollux asked. Karkat could just picture the sneer on his face based on the way he asked the question.  
            “I just am having issues romantically. We kissed and-”  
            “I knew it! You totally want to jump his bones!” Sollux declared triumphantly.  
            “Will you shut the hell up?” Karkat asked, face-palming because of Sollux’s comment.  
            “You’re craving his dick. You have raging boners for him. You’re _in_ raging boners with him,” Sollux teased.  
            “I’m going to wring your skinny-ass neck,” Karkat grumbled, beginning to regret going to Sollux for advice.  
            “Raging boners. Raging boners. Raging boners,” Sollux sung out, but luckily for Karkat, his phone beeped, signaling that he had another call coming in. Without telling Sollux, Karkat switched to the other call.  
            “Hello? Who is this?” he demanded, not recognizing the number.  
            “Oh good! He got the number right! This is Feferi!” the other voice chirped.  
            “And how did you get my number?” Karkat asked suspiciously.  
            “I asked Eridan to give it to me. Luckily it seems that he’s sick enough he didn’t suspect anything.”  
            “Is there a reason you called me?”  
            “It’s about Eridan. He may have some trouble expressing it, Karcrab, but I think he actually does like you.”  
            Karkat blushed a bit and looked down, mumbling, “And why should I care if he does?”  
            “Oh don’t pretend like I’m daft, you silly clownfish! I know you like him!” Feferi boasted excitedly as if she had cracked some great code. Karkat was about to say something in response, but he held his tongue when he heard the door to the bathroom enter and feet shuffle toward the toilet. He heard the sound of clothing drop and then the sound of liquid hitting the toilet and the water inside the toilet.  
            “Ohmygod! Karkat! Are you going to the bathroom with me on the phone?” Feferi shrieked, sounding absolutely disgusted.  
            “That’s not me. That’s Eridan,” Karkat whispered.  
            “Kar?” Eridan asked groggily, sounding thoroughly confused.  
            “God dammit,” Karkat groaned, sinking further into the water, getting a few bubbles on his chin.  
            “What th’ell are you doin’? Are you in th’ bath?” Eridan questioned.  
            “Possibly,” Karkat mumbled.  
            “So you’re naked while talking to me?” Feferi asked, sounding less disgusted than before, but still appalled.  
            “Yes, I am,” Karkat grumbled.  
            “It smells like... one a Fef’s old lotions,” Eridan said, sniffing the air a bit.  
            “Oh! Oh! Ask him if it was Sassy Strawberry Mint! That’s the one I wore like all the time!” Feferi said excitedly.  
            “She wants to know if it was Sassy Strawberry Mint,” Karkat asked, a bit annoyed to be playing the middle man.  
            “I think that was the one,” Eridan mumbled, not sounding as if he could really think clearly at the moment.  
            “Wait, are you talkin’ to her right now?” he added, grabbing at the shower curtain. Karkat panicked and slammed his hand against the tile, pinning the curtain to the wall.  
            “Don’t open that! I’m in the bath you imbecile!” Karkat yelled as Feferi giggled over the phone.  
            “I’m going to leave you two to yourselves! Be sure to talk to him and get things sorted out!” Feferi said before there was a click and it went back to Sollux singing out “Raging boners” on the other line. Karkat rolled his eyes and hung up on Sollux.  
            “Eridan? Are you still in here?” Karkat asked after a few moments of silence. There was the sound of shuffling around before the lid to the toilet shut and it sounded as if Eridan had sat down on the ground. Karkat peeked out and saw Eridan sitting down and laying his head on the lid, his eyes closed and his breathing slow but steady. The small smile that came to Karkat’s lips was unavoidable, not that Karkat minded all too much, especially since Eridan couldn’t see it.  
            “Yeah. ’m here,” Eridan sighed out, not opening his eyes. Karkat could barely see how flushed Eridan’s face was in the candle light, but if he strained his eyes, he could. It was obvious that Eridan was not wholly better, but the brunette showed no signs of going back to bed to try and sleep it off.  
            “We need to talk,” Karkat said, almost wishing that he could take his words back, not wanting to have the conversation.  
            “We are talkin’,” Eridan said softly.  
            “Fine. Let me clarify: we need to speak.” It was too late to turn back now.  
            “Wha’ about?”  
            “Oh, I don’t know. Your horrible grammar,” Karkat said rather sarcastically. Eridan sighed, obviously not caring about his grammar at the moment.  
            “About wha’?” he said, amending his previous question.  
            Karkat paused for a moment, trying to figure out what to say, before finally mumbling, “We kissed.” Eridan was quiet, as was Karkat; the only noise was Eridan’s heavy breathing and the occasional splash from Karkat moving around.  
            “Yeah. We did.”  
            “And then you ran off.”  
            “An’ then I ran off,” Eridan repeated, sounding as if he felt very guilty about it.  
            “I don’t know where we go from here,” Karkat said. Once again, there was the sound of shuffling before the shower curtain was being tugged on again.  
            “Stop! I’m in the bath,” Karkat said, once again holding the curtain closed and wondering what the hell Eridan was doing.  
            “I don’ care,” the taller male grumbled as he pulled the curtain open and looked at Karkat’s blushing face. Karkat attempted to look down and away from Eridan, avoiding eye contact at all costs.  
            “Look at me,” Eridan commanded as he pulled Karkat’s chin up to where he was looking at Eridan. Eridan’s eyes were half-lidded and his face was still flushed from his fever, but it was obvious to Karkat the he knew what he was doing, that his thoughts were clear and not clouded by illness.  
            “’M sure Fef probably tol’ you this, but I think I like you.”  
            “She mentioned it,” Karkat mumbled. Eridan moved a little bit closer, licking his lips, his eyes darting between Karkat’s eyes and his lips.  
            “Eridan, don’t. You’re going to regret it and you have a fever and then things will be even more awkward and I’m not even fucking dressed right now...,” Karkat rambled, assuming that Eridan was going for a kiss. As much as he wanted to kiss Eridan again, he didn’t want it to be something that Eridan regretted.  
            “Shut th’ fuck up,” Eridan muttered before crashing his lips against Karkat’s. Karkat shouted a few muffled complaints, but he quickly calmed down and relaxed, closing his eyes as he returned the kiss, his hand going to Eridan’s cheek and gently caressing it. After a few moments, Karkat broke the kiss, pulling away and looking at Eridan, pressing his forehead to the European brunette’s.  
            “See? Not runnin’ away,” Eridan mumbled as his eyes fluttered open to look into Karkat’s.  
            “I noticed. Must be some sort of Christmas miracle sent from the heavens as a way of apologizing for my shit life and shit friends,” Karkat said.  
            “I also noticed that you’re fucking hot as hell,” he added, referencing to Eridan’s warm forehead.  
            “’Ve been kind a feelin’ like shit an’ thought I looked it as well, but thanks for provin’ me otherwise, even if you’re comin’ on a bit strong,” Eridan said with a grin, oblivious to what Karkat had meant.  
            “No, you do look like shit. I’m talking about your fever,” Karkat said ever so delicately. Eridan frowned and pulled away from Karkat, his ego obviously taking a hit.  
            “Even if you look like shit, you’re still handsome or whatever. Now get out so that I can get out of here and then I’ll take care of your pampered ass, alright?” Karkat said. Eridan smiled a bit and nodded before moving away from the tub.

            Karkat waited for the sound of the bathroom door closing before he pulled the plug in the tub. He washed all the suds off of himself with the shower head after the water had drained. Once he was clean, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. He felt like a bit of an idiot for not thinking to bring clothes with him into the bathroom. Carefully, he slipped out the door, trying to be as quiet as possible as he hurried over to the dresser that was nearby. He glanced over at Eridan, who was lying face down on his bed, looking to be asleep. Karkat grabbed a pair of boxers, some baggy pajama pants, and a tee shirt before hurrying back to the bathroom. He emerged from the bathroom about a minute later, this time dressed. He picked up the empty soup container that Eridan had left near his bed and threw it away, not wanting it to attract any sort of bugs. Once he had cleaned everything up a bit, Karkat sat down on Eridan’s bed, lifting Eridan’s head and scooting himself back before laying Eridan’s head down in his lap. Eridan made a small noise and turned onto his side so that he was facing Karkat. The small Hispanic-looking boy smiled slightly as he leaned down and pressed his lips to Eridan’s temple, combing his fingers through Eridan’s hair.  
            “I never got to tell you how I feel. I think I like you, too.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Had quite a few troubles. Still not sure how long it will be until the next chapter :P Also, new tag to follow! I don't want to spam other tags, so for anything related to this fic, follow or post in the tag #hoprom

Despite his protests, Eridan had to stay in bed one day longer, confined to the prison that was his and Karkat’s room. The sick boy spent most of his day texting Feferi and Karkat as well as trying to piece together what had happened the previous day, only parts of it being able to be remembered. No matter how much Eridan bothered her, Feferi swore that she only knew that Eridan walked in on Karkat taking a bath and that the two had talked after she hung up on Karkat. Eridan was incredibly frustrated about the lack of information, but he did his best not to take it out on Feferi, only sending her a few keyboard smashes of aggravation. The moment Karkat walked in the door, though, Eridan all but pounced on him, jumping out of bed and scrambling over to the smaller male, lingering by his side, waiting for Karkat to drop his backpack before bombarding him with questions.  
“I grabbed your homework. Also, the dean says that if you’re sick for one more day, you’re going to the doctor, but looks like that won’t be a problem,” Karkat said, trailing off toward the end. Eridan nodded and fidgeted anxiously.  
“What the hell. What’s the ‘Ants in the Fucking Pants dance’ for?” Karkat asked, arching an eyebrow as he set everything down, his jacket being the last thing he peeled from his body.  
“What exactly happened yesterday? Don’t leave anythin’ out,” Eridan demanded, pulling Karkat over to the bed.  
“Look, I don’t have time for this bullshit. I need to do homework. We’re still in school in case you forgot, shit for brains,” Karkat said, but his words held no venom since his tone was more of one that was trying to hide something rather than be wounding.  
“All that can wait for later. Kar, I need to know,” Eridan begged, pouting his bottom lip out and scooting closer to Karkat.  
“Alright, just calm down. I went to the store. You were an idiot. I came back and made you some soup. You fell asleep. I took a bath. Sollux called and was an ass. Feferi called and-”  
“Fef called you?” Eridan asked, eyes widening a bit, confused as to how she even would have had Karkat’s number.  
“You’re the one who gave her my number, at least, that’s what she said. Anyways, Feferi called and helped out a bit with some stuff. You came into the bathroom-”  
“Fef mentioned that.”  
“And then took a piss,” Karkat said bluntly.  
“I did _what?_ ” Eridan demanded, a blush running across his cheeks and humiliation coursing through his veins at just the mere thought of the guy he liked hearing him go to the bathroom.  
“I didn’t fucking stutter. There is no other meaning to the word ‘piss.’ You know God damn well what you did. I don’t really care too much, though. So you urinated. And then Feferi hung up-”  
“ _Fef heard too?_ ” the taller whined, flopping back onto the bed.  
“Are you going to let me finish? We started talking about some serious shit and then you pulled the curtain back, while I was in the bath mind you, and then you,” Karkat said, mumbling the last part of his sentence.  
“An’ then I what?” Eridan asked, sitting up and staring at Karkat intently. Karkat seemed to take a long pause before finally answering.  
“You said you liked me.”  
“Did I say I like you or that I _like_ like you,” Eridan asked, cocking an eyebrow and leaning forward a bit.  
“Are we in fucking elementary school?” Karkat growled, lightly hitting Eridan’s arm and rolling his eyes as Eridan laughed a bit.  
“Is that it? Is that all that happened?” Eridan inquired.  
“We then kissed again and then you slept with your head in my lap,” Karkat said hurriedly, blurting it all out so fast that Eridan barely caught it.  
“We kissed again? Fuckin’ shit. I confessed an’ I kissed you an’ I’m just a fuckin’ idiot. Now I know why you didn’t want to talk to me an’ would have preferred doin’ you fuckin’ homework than put up with me an’ the awkwardness I bring an’ just let me know an’ I can go talk to the dean about a room change an’ getting’ our classes changed so we ain’t got nothin’ together an’ I mean goin’ to a boardin’ school that will be pretty hard but we’re almost adults that shouldn’t be hard,” Eridan rambled, blushing and looking at his feet, his hands running through his styled hair.  
“Shut the hell up,” Karkat ordered the moment Eridan’s rambled had stopped.  
“I never said any of things, you giant doofus,” Karkat added, his words almost as gentle as his hand that pulled Eridan’s chin up so that he was no longer staring at the ground, “In fact, once you were asleep, I admitted that I feel the same.” Eridan’s face immediately lit up and a grin danced its way across.  
“Do you mean it?”  
“No, I’m just saying it because I get off on this sort of stuff.”  
“Ha ha. So, where do we go from here?” Eridan asked, speaking the question that was on Karkat’s mind as well.  
“I don’t know. We could go on a date, but I’m terrified that you’d end up running off and ditching me half-way through.” Eridan paused before letting out a brief and insincere laugh, unsure if Karkat was joking or not.  
“I can promise you this, Kar: if we were to date, I wouldn’t run out on you. I’ve done some serious thinkin’ since that moment an’ I talked to Fef an’ next time I see her, I’ll probably get a slap to the back a’ the head for it. Point is that should we be a thing, I’m willin’ to commit to it. I ain’t goin’ to run away from you,” Eridan mumbled, hoping that Karkat had heard everything.  
“Alright. Today’s Wednesday. We’ll have a date on Saturday at a coffee shop near here at 6:30 at night. Think you can survive that long?” Karkat asked, standing up and turning so that he was standing in front of Eridan, taking his hands and holding them as he spoke.  
“I think so. I can see if Fef will drive me there so it’s more date-like,” Eridan suggested, getting a nod and kiss on the forehead from Karkat.  
“Now shut the hell up and let me do my homework.”

For the next few days, all Eridan could think about was the date. He was nervous he would fuck it up as well as excited that he had done well enough so far as to actually get a date. Feferi had agreed to pick him up, but would have to do so early due to having other things that would keep her from picking him up on time, but he should be just fine getting there. As for Eridan’s schoolwork, he was able to get caught up fairly well, getting his makeup work done thanks to a constant nagging from both Feferi and Karkat, mostly Karkat though. When Saturday morning came, Eridan was up bright and early, his stomach flopping from anticipation and anxiety. Feferi came to pick Eridan up at noon, grinning the moment she saw him leave the dorms of the school and get into her car.  
“You ready?” she asked, waiting for Eridan to buckle before driving off. It wasn’t a long drive and it ended as they pulled into the driveway of Feferi’s house. Eridan was filled with a sense of nostalgia as he looked around at the large building until he noticed the other cars around the house, almost all of them recognizable, especially the cobalt blue pickup truck that he knew all too well.  
“What the hell is Vris doin’ here? Not only is she my ex, but she’s my fuckin’ step-sister. Do you know how weird this is goin’ to be?” Eridan hissed, refusing to get out of the car.  
“What do you mean? She’s one of my friends! She’s here for the girls’ day!” Feferi chirped, motioning for Eridan to get out of the car.  
“You didn’t,” Eridan said as he got out of the car.  
“Didn’t what?” Feferi asked in a sing-song voice with a grin that gave it away that she knew exactly what she was doing.  
“I told you we would have a girls’ day!” she said excitedly, grabbing Eridan’s hand and pulling him inside the house. Once inside, Eridan was greeted with the sight of three other girls: Vriska, Kanaya, and Rose.  
“Terezi would have come, but she couldn’t make it,” Feferi explained as she hung her jacket up. Eridan crinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out at the other girl’s name, having only a negative connotation of her.  
“Oh don’t be like that! She’s goes to school with us and she’s really great!” Feferi exclaimed, pulling Eridan with her as she walked to the middle of the room.  
“Alright, girls! Eridan has a date tonight and we can’t have him going like this! We need to style his hair, give him a facial, a mani, a pedi, and, of course, an outfit change!” the bubbly girl said, gaining a unanimous agreement except for from Eridan, but everyone said that his answer didn’t matter. Vriska eyed him with a look that said that she was going to figure out what was going on and why she wasn’t told sooner even if she had to torture him for it, but she said nothing.   
"So are you going to tell us about the lucky girl?" Kanaya asked as she applied a face mask to Eridan.   
"It's not a girl," Eridan mumbled, trying his best not to move his mouth.   
"Well, isn't this a new development? I always wondered if your flirting with me was just a façade," Rose said with a laugh whilst working on Eridan's nails.   
"Have you told your dad that you smoke the sausage cigar yet?" Vriska asked with a laugh, getting a displeases look from everyone else there.   
"I'm surrounded by uncivilized heathens. Anyways, no I haven't told him an' I ain't plannin' on doin' it anytime soon, so all you gals can keep your loud an' blabberin' mouths shut," Eridan said, his pout obvious in his eyes.   
"Don't worry, Eridan! I promise that we won't tell, right?" Feferi said, followed by the other girls agreeing with her, Vriska ring the last and most reluctant to do so.   


Once the girls were done with him, Eridan’s face was soft and moisturized from the facial, which of course there were pictures of, as well as pictures of him with the facial while getting his nails done, his hair styled so that it was parted on the right and in its naturally wavy state, not styled stiff and slicked back like he usually had it, his rings polished and put back on his fingers in the order he always had them in, his pants still tight and clinging to him, but black and simple instead of the ones he usually wore, his shirt a purple v-neck that showed off his collarbone and was just tight enough to show off his muscles, but not too tight were it was unflattering, his shoes staying the same due to not being able find a pair for him to change into, and his scarf being exchanged for a simple black one. His outfit and hair was thanks to Kanaya, although she had to have her sister run out and get said outfit from the Ampora house, dealing with Eridan’s brother attempt to accost the older Maryam, and the scarf was hand-knit by Rose as she watched the other girls attempt to fix Eridan’s appearance. Eridan felt ridiculously stupid in the outfit and voiced his opinion many times, but was assured that the look was stellar, especially on him. With a sigh, he put his peacoat on and walked out the door, Feferi following and shouting thank you’s and promises that she’d be back in a few. The entire drive there, Eridan texted back and forth with Karkat, a small smile on his face that Feferi noticed, but not the bearer of the smile.  
 _YOU’RE LATE._  
 _im not late youre just early learn to tell time kar_  
 _IT’S 6:32. WE AGREED ON 6:30. JUST GET YOUR ASS HERE OR I’LL LEAVE_  
 _so noww you wwant just my ass thats a bit forwward especially for a first date but i guess wwe can youre lucky i like you_  
 _DON’T EVEN TRY TO ACT LIKE YOU WOULDN’T TRY AND GET IN MY PANTS IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE._  
 _same goes for you buddy_  
 _OH PLEASE. IS THERE EVEN ANY ROOM IN YOUR PANTS FOR SOMEONE TO GET IN? I’M THOROUGHLY CONVINCED THAT YOU’RE SECRETLY A GIRL WITH HOW TIGHT YOUR PANTS ARE._  
 _hey noww that just means youre getting a sneak peak a the package_  
 _PLEASE TELL ME I DID NOT READ THAT. OH MY FUCKING GOD I DID._  
 _dont evven try to act like you dont look you had to if you kneww howw tight my pants are in that area an in order to base your wwhole secretly a girl theory_  
 _JUST HURRY UP AND GET HERE._  
 _youre not denyin anythin_  
 _I LOOK AWKWARD WITH IT BEING JUST ME._  
“Eridan! If you would pull your face from your phone, you would see that we’re here!” Feferi said, waving her hand in front of Eridan’s face a bit. Eridan nodded and shoved the phone in his pocket and unbuckled himself.  
“Thank you, Fef. This means a ton to me,” Eridan mumbled, leaning over and kissing Feferi’s cheek before getting out of the car and beginning his search for Karkat. It didn’t take long to find him, the boy sticking out like a sore thumb among the other patrons of the shop. He smiled as he looked at him, thankful that Karkat’s staring at his phone kept him from seeing Eridan being there already. Just as he did the moment he first met Karkat, he noticed his dark hair and caramel skin. He walked a bit closer and Karkat apparently heard him, looking up at him with brown eyes that looked amazing with his other features. Eridan finished walking all the way to the table that Karkat had choosen, sitting down in the chair opposite to him.  
“It’s rather pretty outside, ain’t it?” Eridan mumbled after there was a bit of an awkward silence between them.  
“Yeah,” Karkat mumbled back.  
“You look amazing,” Karkat blurted out after a few seconds.  
“You stole the words from my mouth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another quick note about the relationships here. The dancestors are older siblings and the ancestors are parents. I'm also trying to make as many nods to canon relationships as I can, so Eridan and Vriska are exes and Mindfang and Dualscar are still together, making the two step-siblings. Also, look to this page (http://willietheoctopus.tumblr.com/post/38856043224/just-so-things-dont-get-confusing) should you ever get confused as to what is going on or shoot me an ask! I swear that I have everything planned out and everything (hopefully) will make sense in the end!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who would like to know these things, there are mentions of someone possibly committing suicide, although it is never said for sure. Just to let anyone who would like to know that before reading this chapter.  
> Reminder to check the hoprom tag, especially with the a giveaway of sorts related to the fic coming up soon!  
> Also, due to writing this while dead tired, please feel free to let me know if I have any really terrible and awfully bad grammar mistakes here.

                While showing up thirty minutes early for their date seemed like a good plan in theory, the practice of it was possibly the worst thing that Karkat had ever done, at least so it seemed in his teenage mind. He sat at the table, fidgeting with his outfit, terrified that he had underdressed for the occasion. He had to admit that he never remember first dates being this bad or nerve wrecking, both from his own experience and from the movies he had watched, although that could all be from a bias due to the situation. The short male pulled his phone out and began to play on it, unsure what to do in order to pass time. It was barely 6:10. It was official. He was the biggest idiot there was.  
 _SOLLUX, FOR ONCE IN YOUR PATHETIC EXISTENCE, HELP ME._  
 _that doe2n’t make me want two help you at all_  
 _SO FUCKING HELP ME GOD I WILL END YOU._  
 _what2 the magiic word_  
 _ASSHOLE._  
 _nope._  
 _A22HOLE._  
 _diing diing_  
 _now what the fuck do you want KK_  
 _I ARRIVED WAY TOO EARLY._  
 _then dont do that dumba22 iit2 not that hard_  
 _DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE._  
 _YOU BETTER NOT DO WHAT I THINK YOU’RE GOING TO DO._  
 _unliike me_  
 _GOD FUCKING DAMMIT. I KNEW IT. YOU’RE SO IMMATURE AND DUMB._  
 _and liike you arent_  
 _youre pe2teriing me about 2howiing up two early for a date_  
 _youre ju2t a2 dumb and ju2t a2 iimmature_  
 _I HATE YOU HAVING A SMART PHONE. YOU’RE ABLE TO SEND THOSE MESSAGES WITHOUT GIVING ME A CHANCE TO REPLY. I THINK THAT’S CALLED CHEATING._  
 _now youre ju2t changiing the 2ubject_  
 _what2 the matter_  
 _cant handle the ta2te of your own mediiciine_  
 _I’M GOING TO SLAP YOU SO HARD THAT YOUR NON-EXISTANT MAN TITS WILL FUCKING JIGGLE. I’LL SLAP YOU SO HARD YOU KIDS WILL FEEL IT. OH WAIT, THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO HAVE KIDS._  
 _ouch_  
 _well for your iinformatiion ii have a date_  
 _iinfact the date is twomorrow_  
 _CONGRATS. LET ME GUESS, SHE’S DEAF, DUMB, AND BLIND. OH AND WITH YOUR HYGEINE, SHE CAN’T SMELL EITHER._  
 _nah 2he2 pretty cool_  
 _liive2 over by the 2chool_  
 _total babe two_  
 _kiind of remiind2 me of AA before 2he went through that depre22iing and emo pha2e_  
 _THAT’S GOOD. YOU NEED SOMEONE LIKE THAT AFTER EVERYTHING YOU WENT THROUGH._  
 _ii cant help but wonder what AA would thiink of her_  
 _LET’S NOT MAKE THIS DEPRESSING, BRO. I ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH SHIT GOING ON. I DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO MARCH ALL THE WAY OVER THERE AND CHEER YOUR FLAT ASS UP._  
 _thii2 a22 ii2nt flat_  
 _iit2 liike the epiitome of juiicy_  
 _WHATEVER. THANKS FOR THE FOUNTAIN OF ADVICE YOU GAVE AND BY THAT I MEAN NONE. YOU WERE THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF HELPFUL. THANKS SO MUCH, ASSHOLE._  
 _youre welcome_  
 _good luck KK_  
 _hope thiing2 go well_  
 _THANKS._

            Texting Sollux had passed some time, as did texting Eridan once it had gone past 6:30. He was busy typing out his last text to Sollux once he heard someone’s footsteps, drawing his attention to the person who was walking toward him. He looked up and all but had his breath taken away. Eridan looked amazing. Better than amazing. Karkat couldn’t even think of the right way to describe how Eridan looked. He thinks the thing he loved the most was the hair, not styled but natural and amazing, not like Karkat’s were it was untamed and a mess even despite the comb he had ran through it multiple times. The muscles and collarbones that were tauntingly being shown or highlighted by Eridan’s shirt were almost too much for him to handle. He was going to have to hunt down whoever dressed Eridan and thank him or her. They locked eyes for a moment, Eridan seeming to do the same thing that Karkat was, staring at the other in awe, but Karkat shook it off, convinced that there was no way someone like Eridan could be impressed with how the shorter male looked. The brunette took a seat across the table from Karkat, appearing to feel as awkward and nervous as Karkat did.  
            “Rather pretty outside, ain’t it?” Karkat knew he should have looked around to see if it actually was before responding, but he could tear his eyes away from Eridan.  
            “Yeah.”  
            “You look amazing,” Karkat blurted out, wishing he hadn’t a split second afterwards. God, he was such an idiot. Why the hell couldn’t he have just admired Eridan in silence?  
            “You stole the words from my mouth,” Eridan said with a smile, the sight of it causing Karkat’s heart to skip a beat for a second, his cheeks burning from a blush.  
            “You’re just saying that,” Karkat mumbled, looking down at the table.  
            “Well, yeah. I wouldn’t have said it in those words. I probably would have just mumbled somethin’ an’ ended it with ‘you look hot’ or some really bad pickup line,” Eridan confessed, chuckling a bit. Karkat rolled his eyes and looked back up at Eridan.  
            “I like your hair like this. It really flatters your facial structure,” Karkat said, looking at the hair about which he was speaking.  
            “I hate my natural hair,” Eridan mumbled, running a hand through his wavy locks. Karkat felt a pang of jealousy, wishing he could run his hands through Eridan’s hair as well.  
            “Have you ordered anythin’ to drink?” Eridan asked when Karkat had yet to respond.  
            “Oh, uh, no. I was waiting for you to get here.”  
            “I’ll go get ‘em. What do you want?”  
            “Just a small black coffee.” Karkat watched as Eridan walked away, looking at the way his muscles shifted under the semi-tight shirt and the way his hips swayed from side to side and, of course, the way his ass was pretty much perfect. Karkat was almost convinced that Eridan had only wanted this date as part of an elaborate prank or because he just felt sorry for the American boy. Those had to be the only explanations for this. Or maybe it was Eridan’s way of trying to make Feferi jealous. Karkat shook his head as the last option found its way into his thoughts, not wanting to think about that one, knowing that was very likely. By the time Eridan got back to the table with their coffees, Karkat was a mess with head in hands, eyes wide as he thought about how he was just a pawn in Eridan’s little game.  
            “Kar, what the fuck are you doin’?” Eridan asked, sliding a drink toward the frazzled boy.  
            “I know what you’re doing and I refuse to stand for it,” Karkat accused, looking up and narrowing his eyes at Eridan.  
            “An’ what the hell am I doin’ exactly?” the taller asked, brow furrowed in confusion.  
            “You’re just using me to get back at Feferi. I’m not going to be some god damn pawn!”  
            “You’re a fuckin’ idiot.”  
            “Excuse me?”  
            “You heard me.”  
            “And why the fuck did you call me that?”  
            “’Cause why the fuck would I want to make her jealous? Kar, I would have done that a while ago if that’s what I wanted an’ I would have had the date in a place that she could see us an’ such. You’re just bein’ a paranoid idiot.” Karkat felt his cheeks grow red again, embarrassed that he had said such things to Eridan.  
            “Sorry. I was just trying to find a reason why a guy like you would go on a date with someone like me,” Karkat mumbled, grabbing his coffee and staring at it.  
            “Why do you say that?” the brunette asked, his brow once again furrowed in confusion.  
            “Look at you. You’re handsome. Hell, you’re practically a fucking sex god. You’re rich, you’re British _and_ French. It’s like you came right from a god damn movie. The only thing wrong with you is that sometimes you as dumb and oblivious as a brick,” Karkat whined.  
            “In those movies that you’re obsessed with, isn’t the girl always gorgeous and wonderful and amazin’, but she refuses to see it?” Eridan asked, arching one of his perfectly trimmed eyebrows.  
            “Yeah. I guess so.”  
            “That’s what I fuckin’ thought. Now stop dissin’ yourself. You’re hatin’ on the person I like the most,” Eridan said with a grin, grabbing Karkat’s hand and holding it tight. Karkat all but melted right there, unable to say anything in response, knowing that if he tried to it would come out as a jumbled mess.  
            “You want to go walk around?” the other asked, looking around the coffee shop they were outside of. It took Karkat a bit to process what he had just been asked, but he eventually nodded, standing up and getting out of his seat. Eridan followed his example and did the same, pushing his chair in after getting out of it. Eridan held his coffee with one hand and extended the other as an offer to hold Karkat’s hand, an offer that the other took very quickly.

            They walked hand in hand to the park, ending up sitting on the swings next to each other, swaying slightly while holding hands.  
            “Want to hear something crazy?” Karkat asked, looking over at Eridan whose gaze was on the stars above them.  
            “Huh?”  
            “Sollux has a date.”  
            “Really?”  
            “Yeah. He was telling me about it over text earlier.”  
            “Who is it?”  
            “No clue. All he said was some girl near the school. Let me ask exactly who it is.” After a few seconds of Karkat typing and waiting impatiently, he got his answer, his eyes growing wide as he read the name on his screen.  
            “Well? Who is it?” Eridan demanded, attempting to read it over Karkat’s shoulder.  
            “Promise not to get upset?”  
            “Why the hell would I care about who he dates?”  
            “Because it’s Feferi.” Eridan’s mouth fell open and he stared at Karkat as if he was kidding.  
            “What the fuck would she be doin’ with a guy like that?” Eridan hissed, doing his best to keep his calm.  
            “I thought you said you didn’t care about her,” Karkat said, narrowing his eyes at Eridan.  
            “I still care about her like a fuckin’ sister. She was my first friend in this god damn country. I don’t want her doin’ somethin’ that she may regret later.”  
            “Why do you think she’s going to regret going on a date with him?”  
            “He doesn’t deserve her.”  
            “Look, he deserves the fucking world after what happened to him.” Eridan was quiet before looking at Karkat with utter confusion.  
            “About 3 years ago, Sollux started dating this girl named Aradia. She went to a nearby school and were able to keep their relationship going while he went here. They were great. Happy as could be. Everybody rooted for their relationship. After about two years of dating, she changed. No one knows what caused it, not even Sollux, but same say that she started seeing ghosts or some shit like that. She started getting morbid and depressing, wearing long skirts and like coating her eyes in makeup, usually this weird red colour. Anyways, as much as Sollux loved her, he couldn’t handle the new her so he broke up with her. A little bit later, about a month or two, she was found dead in her room. There was no investigating involved, already pinned down as a suicide. Some say she was murdered, others say she did it because she was crazy and had voices in her head, some believe a vengeful ghost possessed her and made her do it, but no one really knows. Police refused to check it out. Sollux thinks he caused her death. Didn’t forgive himself for the longest time. For a while, he was suicidal himself. We, meaning Gamzee and me, not even the fucking so called counselor here, finally to cheer up and not blame himself for her death. He hasn’t had another date since his last one with her,” Karkat explained, looking at the ground as he spoke. Eridan was silent the whole time, undoubtedly feeling guilty for the words he had said before.  
            “Just don’t let Sollux know I told you. He doesn’t want people treating him differently and all that shit. Definitely don’t tell Feferi.”  
            “You can’t just lie that on a guy an’ then tell him not to tell no one!” Eridan exclaimed. Karkat cringed a bit at Eridan’s grammar, but said nothing about it.  
            “I can and I did. If I found out you told her, no kisses or something like that,” Karkat threatened, putting his hand on his hip.  
            “We’ve kissed like twice. That’s hardly a threat.”  
            “So you’re saying you don’t want any kisses like this?” Karkat asked before getting off of his swing and walking over to in front of Eridan, grasping the chains holding the swing up and bending down to Eridan, his lips covering the brunette’s, eyes fluttering shut as Eridan’s hands reached behind Karkat’s back, his fingers lacing together and pulling the American boy closer to the Eurpean. Eridan’s mouth opened slightly and Karkat’s tongue darted in, moving against Eridan’s and exploring the new frontier, evoking a small groan from Eridan. Much sooner than either would have liked, Karkat pulled away from the kiss.  
            “Well?” Karkat asked, not sure what he wanted in response, but knowing that he did in fact want a response.  
            “If it means I get more kisses like that, then I’m not tellin’ anybody anythin’,” Eridan said eagerly, smiling up at Karkat.  
            “That’s what I thought. Now before any other potential disasters come hit us and nearly ruin tonight, let’s get back to the dorm,” Karkat said, offering a hand to help Eridan up, which the other gladly took.


End file.
